Legacy: Worlds of

WORLDs OF
LEGACY
i
Godsend
Khelren
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Writing
Khelren
Layout and Line Development
Minerva McJanda
Editing
Rebecca Curran
Art
Jess Taylor, Tithi Luadthong
April 2018
A UFO Press Publication.
ufopress.co.uk ufopressrpg@gmail.com
Twitter: @ufopressrpg facebook.com/UFOpressRPGs
© 2018 UFO Press. All rights reserved
Based on Legacy: Life Among the Ruins 2nd Edition by Minerva McJanda
and Douglas Santana Mota.
Published in partnership with Modiphius Entertainment.
Printed by CPI Antony Rowe, UK
Modiphius Entertainment Product Number: MUH051343
ISBN: 978-1-912200-81-8
Inspired by the Apocalypse World system by Vincent and Meguey Baker.

This book was produced using Adobe Creative Cloud.
Typefaces: Body in Adobe Caslon Pro, Headings in Capitalis Type Oasis and
Brothers OT.
The Modiphius logo is copyright Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. 2018.
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Contents
Chapter I: Chapter IV:
Playing Godsend 4 Avatar Callings 56
The End times 5 The Angel 59
How to play Godsend 5 The Harbinger 63
Pantheon Creation Example 10 The Incarnation 67
Example of play 13 The Juggernaut 71
The Martyr 75
Chapter II: The Pandora 78
Moves 22 The Prometheus 82
Basic Divinity Moves 23 The Prophet 87
Peripheral Divinity Moves 23
Basic Avatar Moves 25 Chapter V:
Peripheral Avatar Moves 27 Apostles 90
Story Moves 27 Apostles of Death 92
Apostles of Justice 93
Chapter III: Apostles of Knowledge 94
Divine Domains 30 Apostles of Nature 95
Death 33
Apostles of Trickery 96
Justice 37
Apostles of War 97
Knowledge 41
Nature 45 Chapter VI:
Trickery 49 Running Godsend 98
War 53 Being the GM 99
GM advice 102
The first session 103
Perils 105
Relics and Artefacts 110
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CHAPTER I
THE AGE OF GODS

Godsend takes place in a world of epic myth and fantasy. Maybe this world is one
that we know well? Or maybe you will choose a blank map and draw on it, adding
features, locations and settlements? Maybe you will create whole new names and
languages for your world, or maybe you’ll draw on the power of familiarity.
In this world, though, anything is possible. Magic exists, gods are real, and their
deeds are known for a fact. Supernatural creatures, grotesque monsters and legendary
items are common. But despite all of its wonders, its miracles and gods, this world
is doomed. Prophecies warn of the coming end of time. Days are numbered. But the
prophecy doesn’t say – and even the gods don’t know – if the events during the end
Of time will bring the end of the world or just a renewal.
The world is doomed to disappear, or to be destroyed, or to be utterly changed, and
not even the fates themselves know which. And all this uncertainty means only one
thing: that everybody has a plan on how to make the apocalypse go their way, and
they have nothing left to lose.
Into this world you will portray the gods themselves, as they bicker, scheme, and
occasionally support one another. You will also play the agents of the gods, heroes
ascending to divinity. Torn in half between their sense of belonging to mankind and
their duty towards their deity. They will suffer greatly, sacrifice what is dearest to
them, and heroically or infamously die, soon to be replaced as the ages turn.
Fiction inspiration comes from books such as Homer’s The Iliad, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The
Lord of the Rings, Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story, and roleplaying games such
as Nobilis, The Quiet Year, How to Host a Dungeon and the Forgotten Realms’ Time of
Troubles. The ragnarök of Snorri Sturlson’s Eddas, the Bible’s Book of Revelations and
other tales of the end times serve as prime material for this game.
The system is based on the second edition of Legacy: Life Among the Ruins but is
also inspired by such games as Undying, Fellowship, Masks and The Warren – not to
mention the originator of these, Vincent and Meguey Baker’s Apocalypse World.
How to play Godsend

In Godsend, each player takes the role of a Divinity. Divinities can’t directly act in
the world: this is a rule that is absolute and true for all of time. However, they can
still grant gifts or influence some of their worshippers.
Their goal is to direct or prevent the end of the world – gods may have flaws, but
they care about the end of the world as much as any mortal being – and moreover
not to disappear and be forgotten in the tides of history in the process.
To do this they need to gather Faith, which sometimes requires inflicting a calamity
or two upon humanity. As the end of the world is coming and they want the
universal finale to go their way, they need someone to act on their behalf: this is why
they have chosen, willingly or not, an Avatar. Avatars are the only ones who can
truly influence the Fate of the world, even if they need to sacrifice themselves in the
process.
The Age of Gods 5

Godsend is diceless. The game deals with hard choices and sacrifice, and when a
city is destroyed or a population is eradicated you won’t have the excuse of a bad roll
to fall back on. It’s also to place the game’s focus on trust between characters with
different viewpoints and goals, on the short term versus the long term, on the means
versus the end. Finally, it’s fun to be invested with godly powers such that everything
you do has great impact. So you’d better think carefully before doing something… or
maybe you’ll just dive into pure chaos, an agent of change wherever you go.
Each player creates their Divinity, and – here’s the trick – also controls another
player’s Avatar. You need to portray your characters with honesty, because sometimes
your Avatar will need to promote their Divinity’s interests over your own.
If you don’t feel at ease shifting your viewpoint, ruining with one character
what you did with another, you can instead have one player embody a
Divinity and the rest take the role of their Avatars. You’ll have to tweak the
rules, and create a pantheon with more NPC divinities. The GM will have to
create more adversity for the allied player group, but nothing should break.
When you play as a Divinity, you influence the world on a much grander scale.
Compared to the whole of humanity, a mortal life is nothing; compared to eternity, a
century is nothing. Your Moves create Perils and NPCs, making the world full of life
and conflict, and you drastically alter the map as time passes. You will appear to your
Avatar and try to convince them to do what you wish.
When you play as an Avatar, you work to enact the will of your Divinity… or do
you? Even if you have been granted huge powers, you’re still somewhat mortal. You
still continue to live amongst humanity, seeing their sufferings, watching their brave
efforts ruined by the ire of gods. Strife may exist between a god and their chosen.
This may be represented by the evolution of the role of the Avatar within their
Divinity’s clergy: one day they may be the spiritual leader, but after a crisis of faith,
they may become a heretic, and after being cursed by their god, be considered
completely lost and fallen.
Sometimes you will work together with other avatars, or at least be present in the
same scenes. Other times, a scene may focus on only one character, in which case the
other players create supporting characters called Apostles.
Apostles are mere mortals lucky enough to assist or witness the glory of an Avatar.
They are characters that you can quickly create, use, reuse or discard after their scene.
The story must flow naturally: if Avatars follow separate routes, Apostles are a good
way to gather all the players in the same scene when it wouldn’t make sense for their
regular characters to be present.
You’ll play during four Ages, each representing a span of many centuries. You
shouldn’t change Divinities during this time, but Avatars can come and go. When
they die, they may merge with their Divinity and influence them. Or part of the
former Avatar, in the form of a Relic, may bring past memories and experiences
to the new chosen. A new Age is a perfect moment to choose a different Avatar
playbook, if you wish.
6 The Age of Gods

With each turn of Age, you’ll alter your map of the world: a flood will change plains
into marshes, a volcano will erase a city, a dragon will burn a whole forest to ashes.
Little by little you will discover the details of this world, the Perils that lurk there,
the NPCs that live in it. And then in a single moment you will smash your new toys
and bring down with destructive glee the tower you’ve just erected.
Godsend strongly focuses on this map: it’s equally a roleplaying game and a map-
drawing game. Most of the rules deal with creating fictional tags, and linking them
to an area of the map.
At the end of the fourth Age – after four to eight sessions – you’ll conclude this
campaign with a satisfying epilogue, discovering if the world faces final ruin or
salvation and concluding the story of your characters. You may decide to begin
another campaign at that point: human history is full of apocalyptic scenarios,
floods, droughts, and blights, and somehow we have been able to rebuild civilization
afterward.
In this case, I advise you to keep the pantheon you’ve created, but the players are
free to create new Divinities. Maybe their previous Divinities are still part of the
pantheon or they are a lesser divinity now, maybe the players will play the same
Divinity but with another Domain. It’s also a good time to change the GM if you
want to.
As for the map, there’s a chance the world has been utterly destroyed and you should
begin anew. Or you could keep the same general landscape, adding another layer to
the map as you go, keeping evidence of the previous campaign.
PLAYER AGENDA
When playing Godsend, it’s useful to keep some guidelines in mind. If you
follow them, you’ll play the game the way it’s meant to be played and make
sure everybody has fun. When you don’t know what to do next, take a look at
them:
Always follow the fiction.

Address the characters, not the players.
Always ask questions, and always answer the questions with honesty.
Provide details about the world surrounding you.
Change the face of the world, act as a divine being.
Support the other players when their characters are leading the story.
It’s okay if you don’t remember them all the time and even if you break
them occasionally. These guidelines are the backbone of what is overall a
mechanics-light game – trust them to tie everything together.
For the first session, you’ll also have some more specific guidelines.
The Age of Gods 7

How to get started
To play Godsend, you’ll need three to five players, one of whom will be the GM. I
strongly advise you to play with four players, GM included. Powered by the Apocalypse
games are character-centred, and too many players risks severely reducing the
spotlight on each character; we don’t want that.
Below are some quick setup rules for the game. I can’t emphasize enough how
important it is to work as a group during this phase. Listen and learn to compromise.
Let everyone speak and try to build on the ideas of your fellow players. Respect
boundaries and be inclusive.
Step 0: Social contract
First and foremost, you need to be sure that everyone is willing to play the same
game. Here are some questions for you to answer as a group:
Are we okay with PvP? Usually, are divinities helping each other? Do they feud
because of their beliefs, grudges or rivalries? Divinities are beings of passion, and
in Godsend, we are talking about an impending doom threatening reality itself.
Obviously, you may prefer to have a group of Divinities and Avatars that are allied,
but because of divergence of opinions, they may become mortal enemies during this
epic crisis. Is this okay with the players?
If not, Oaths (a resource in the game) should help prevent war between characters.
Let’s talk about it now so we know who’s okay with this idea, and let’s remember
that we can raise flags when problems happen, before the fun is ruined for someone
at the table.
Are we okay with putting pressure on each other? You have a Divinity that will
constantly try to force their Avatar to do things their way. The rules are here to give
incentives that don’t abolish the target’s freedom to choose. Still, are you okay with
presenting an ultimatum to another player? Asking them to slay thousands, so that
you may build a better world? Facing that ultimatum as an Avatar, and weighing
divine loyalty against morality? Maybe that kind of pressure is not your cup of tea
and in that case, that’s perfectly fine.
And finally, are we okay with playing with the concept of religion and the end Of
time? Maybe not, maybe that’s too personal for some of us. Maybe defining some
boundaries may help you: for example, maybe you don’t want someone to play full
Evil at the table, but if they reigned it in a little or only did so "offscreen" it would be
fine. It’s always a good idea to discuss what you’re not okay seeing in the game.
Step 1: World-building
When you are done setting ground rules, you need to decide exactly in what kind
of setting you want to play. Here are some questions for you to answer to create a
coherent fictional world:
What type of setting are we excited about? A high fantasy setting full of intrigue
and doomsday prophecies, with dwarves, elves, dragons, wizards, and devils, like
Wizards of the Coast’s Forgotten Realms? A mythological setting like Homer’s
Odysseus and The Iliad, with petty divinities feeling very human with all their flaws?
A pseudo-historical setting, like D. Vincent Baker’s Dogs in the Vineyard, where
8 The Age of Gods

supernatural influence may be rationally explained? Or something completely weird
and dreamlike like Hogshead Publishing’s Nobilis, where the mythic and prosaic
blend together fluidly?
How exceptional are the Avatars? Are they one of many or a select few? Are they
known to roam the land or are they hiding in the shadows, playing a secret game
of chess where the pawns are kingdoms? How will normal people react when they
realize they face such a supernatural being? With stunning stupor, pious fear, or
frantic hatred?
How epic is it going to be? When an Avatar goes full power, can they lift mountains,
part the seas and eradicate armies? Or is it more subtle, like Gandalf the Grey
in The Lord of the Rings, who brings light where darkness lies and mainly brings
as wise counsel but nevertheless fights the coming darkness in his own way? Or
something in-between, like Leeloo in The Fifth Element, who can definitely kick ass
without a sweat and has some strange abilities? It’s okay to mix and match, so long
as players are alright with acting at different scales of magnitude and stay mindful
of other player’s enjoyment of the game. Also, are we talking about events that will
unfold during a span of years, centuries, or aeons? Will the map be about a region, a
continent, a planet, the whole universe, or several planes of existence?
Step 2: Divinity creation
Each non-GM player takes a Divinity playbook (called a Domain) to create their
Divinity. Domains represent a strong concept – based on a specific aspect of the
universe like War, Nature or Justice – which divinities embody. You can’t take a
Domain already taken by another player.
Your first task is to choose their Look and their Cult. These details only affect the
fiction, but they will help you get a proper image of your character and establish a
few things about the world.
Choose an existing map that all players can agree on, or draw a map on a blank sheet
of paper. Landmarks will help you fill in some details of your world.
Epithets and Sub-domains give more depth to your Divinity, and also provide
them with their first Moves: abilities they can use to move the story in a particular
direction.
At that point, name them (with their full title, including their Epithet) and describe
them (with all the details provided by their Look) to the other players.
When each player has created their Divinity and has introduced them, you will
create the Pantheon of your world. Each Divinity has some history and relationships
with the others, and those options decide their relative rank in the Pantheon. If no
PC fits for a relationship, you may choose an NPC deity or create a new one. Some
choices may nullify previous ones: if one option places you higher in the pantheon
than one deity, and you choose them for another option that places you lower, then
you are equals. Choices will also give you points of Oath on the other Divinities,
representing the obligations you can hold over them.
The Age of Gods 9

Pantheon Creation Example
We have four gods: Ico, goddess of Justice, Ambrose, god of war, Cord, god of Trickery and
Vala, goddess of Knowledge. They all start equal.
Ico Ambrose Cord Vala
Ico decides Cord is her rival, and she defeated Ambrose in a duel making him lesser:
Ico Cord Vala
Ambrose
Ambrose decides that Cord is his spouse, though their relationship is unchanged. He also
decides that he defeated Vala in a fight, so she's his lesser:
Ico Cord
Ambrose
Vala
Vala gave Ico the gift of law, and is Cord's sister, but neither of these change her standing.
Cord decides that Ico is his secret lover, and that he tricked the ancient titan Atlas (a new
non-player god) into creating the world for humanity. This puts them both above him:
Ico Atlas
Ambrose Cord
Vala
This gives Ico Faith +1, Ambrose and Cord Faith 0, and Vala Faith -1.
10 The Age of Gods

When all the choices have been made, your rank decides your starting Faith:
• If no Divinity is higher than you, begin with Faith +1.
• If no Divinity is lower, you begin with Faith -1.
• Otherwise, you begin with Faith 0.
Revelation will be useful when you choose your Avatar in Step 3, defining your
relationship with your champion and how they can influence you in return.
Decide if your Goal is the world’s Salvation or its Ruin. Discuss this with the other
players, bearing in mind your discussions in Step 0. Your playbook's End of Time
section gives you special options to choose from when The End is Nigh move is
triggered, as well as special rules when you want to create Artefacts or Followers.
Your Fate Move is almost the only way for you to directly affect your Fate: your
ability to move the world towards its doom or its salvation. Read your Fate Move
carefully and push your Avatar in the direction that will your Move's criteria.
Step 3: Avatar creation
Each non-GM player takes an Avatar playbook (called Calling) to create their
Avatar. Callings represent the purpose Avatars use their powers for: to help people?
To bring chaos? To become a divinity themselves?
You may choose a Calling already taken by another player, but I would strongly
advise you not to: it’s less interesting if two characters share the same narrative.
During this step, it’s best to work with the other players to create a character that
would be chosen as an Avatar by one of the Divinities.
There’s no doubt who will pick who if you play with only two PCs, but with more
than that you should decide who’s working for who.
First, choose which set of Stats suits your Avatar. They have four Stats:
• Charisma, which represents their art of diplomacy and their trickery.
• Valour, which represents their might, speed and grace.
• Will, which represents their intelligence and magical powers.
• Wisdom, which represents the strength of their virtues and their awareness of
their impact on the life of mortals.
If one of their stats should go above 3 during character creation (notably if their
Divinity grants them a stat bonus) the Divinity assigns the bonus elsewhere.
Next choose their Look. You have the option of taking supernatural elements that
mark you out as a chosen avatar of the gods; if you take one of these options, you’ll
gain a relevant Quality and the Detriment: conspicuous.
Qualities and Detriments are mainly here to help your group assess the
strengths and weaknesses of an avatar, creature or location, although they
have mechanical impact for Apostles (see page 91).
Then decide their Backstory. You’ll name your character and describe them to the
other players. Everyone introduces the mortal they were and what happened in their
life, before their Divinity picked them. Afterwards, you decide your personal history
and relationship with the other Avatars.
The Age of Gods 11

Roles are very important: they are the only means available to advance your character
and gain new Moves. You select one Role during this step. Once you’re in play, you
should always be on the lookout to change your Role as appropriate for the fiction.
Finally, pick two Avatar Moves.
Step 4: Map-drawing
The players’ Domains and Callings should give you some details to fill in the map.
Discuss these as a group and build a world that you are excited to visit, a world
whose ruin would be a tragedy. For now, let’s just try to flesh out the details. If you
are curious about some features, or if you have some questions, great, just ask!
Step 5: Play the First session
If your players are like mine, taking their time to lovingly craft a great setting, your
first session will stretch to two. So it’s better to talk about the First Age, which
should take you between half of the first session (in case of “right to the point”
players) and one full session (in case of more prolix players).
The first age is here to help you discover the world and those protagonists, and to
help you get familiar with the game mechanics. At this point the end of time should
feel distant and vague, only of concern to seers and intellectuals. It’s only at the end
of the session that the truth of the world’s doom is revealed.
The characters should have objectives and links to some features of the map. Jump
right in there, zoom in, establish the scene and see what happens. It’s obviously
better to create a scene where all the characters could be present, but if you cannot,
that’s okay: the players whose Avatars are not present can interfere or influence the
outcome of this scene with their Divinity.
Players should focus on filling in the personality of their two characters, the Divinity
and the Avatar. If you feel more inspired by one of your characters, it’s okay to spend
most of your time with them. Just remember that other players have ties to you:
without the aid of your Avatar, another player’s Divinity can’t act directly. Without
the guidance and support of your Divinity, another player’s Avatar will face harsher
difficulties.
During the First session, the GM has a more specific agenda to bear in mind – so do
the players. Here’s some guidelines for players to follow:
Use your Divinity to get information about the world and set up plans, resources or allies.
Use your Avatar to dive deeper into specific bits of the world and play out your plan’s
outcomes.
Show your Avatar’s reaction to their new condition, their limitless power (or so they may
think), and how they deal with that.
Show your Divinity’s temperament and the relationships within the pantheon as they look
idly at the mortal realm below.
Have a scene between your Avatar and their Divinity, or vice versa.
Even if your Divinities are opposed, find good reasons to work with other Avatars.
12 The Age of Gods

When everybody is familiar with the setting, the characters and the basic moves, it’s
time to make clear the threat of the oncoming apocalypse. Trigger The End is Nigh
and drastically alter your beloved map. Raze cities, decimate populations, create huge
disasters.
A strong word of advice: I recommend that you primarily target the features that you
like the most, as a group or as a player. The people you were beginning to love during
that Age? Dead. The landscape that you were finding beautiful? Destroyed. The thing
you were so much curious about? Lost. And remember: it was your fault if things
went badly. You have the power to do marvels. So, next time, maybe you’ll put a little
more effort into defending what you care about most.
Example of play
The following example of play heavily refers to Chapter II for the different Moves,
Chapter III, IV & V for the playbooks, and even Chapter VI for the GM rules.
Reading those chapters will make this section more understandable. However, as it
focuses on showing the flow of a standard Godsend game, it’s included here to give
you a taste of the action.
I’ve gathered three players: Bruce, Luke and Tom. To keep this example as short as possible,
I’m not going to focus too much on Bruce. Sorry, Bruce! We decide to set the game in a
pseudo-mythological setting, similar to Ancient Greece. We establish that Avatars are rare
and powerful, able to win a fight against an entire army.
Bruce chooses the Trickery Domain and creates Darkstar, “Who breaks the laws”, God of
Trickery and Luck. She sketches on the map a large area which will be “a land of illusions
where dreams and nightmares become prophetic”, “a temple opened only during the night”
and “a rebellious faction that threatens the current authority” and fleshes them out a bit.
I add the Detriment: illusion tag to the area Bruce created, and remember the temple's
location as that is where Darkstar's Followers will appear. Finally, I create a Peril for the
rebellious faction. As it is the first session, I don’t have time to add more details to this now.
However, I note that they are probably a Faction-type of Peril.
Then, Luke creates Amenei, “Who ends life”, the God of Death and Judgment. He draws
on the map a large area of “frozen landscape where the sun never rises”, his shrine is located
in “the skeletal remains of a huge legendary beast” and – what will become very important
for this first session – “an army of undead, led by the Avatar of a dead deity”. He gives
some details for the latter: a huge Minotaur has stolen the essence of their former deity,
the goddess of Nature. Nice! That’s a great Peril to me, probably a Titan or maybe even a
Confrontation (because they may be surrounded by an army of undead and located in a
dangerous place).
Finally, Tom creates Sari, “Lady of Foresight”, the Goddess of Knowledge and Strategy. She
places on the map “a dark obsidian tower where magic is practiced”, their shrine is in “a long-
dormant volcano” and “tempests of magic, bringing corruption”.
The Age of Gods 13

The pantheon consists of Darkstar as the lower deity and Sari and Amenei as equals
and higher deities. There’s also the case of this dead goddess, but for now, let’s say she’s
not actively part of the pantheon. Therefore, Sari and Amenei begin with Faith +1 and
Darkstar with Faith -1.
Finally, Amenei is the only one guiding the world towards ruin. Darkstar and Sari are
aiming for salvation.
The Divinities chosen, we create the Avatars.
Tom chooses The Juggernaut playbook for Adyria, an imposing steel-skinned person. They
are picked by Amenei, god of Death.
Luke opts for The Pandora playbook for Helene, a beautiful woman. She is chosen by
Darkstar, god of Trickery.
And finally, Bruce takes The Angel playbook for Ruthsa, your classical angel with feather
wings. Ruthsa is the Avatar of Sari, goddess of Knowledge.
Because of their backstory, Ruthsa and Adyria notably fought – twice! – in the past,
adding two large areas of destruction to the map (Detriment: devastated). Apart from
that, their backstory adds Gewaemon, a conquering warrior-king that defeated Adyria
(probably another Peril) and an Artefact of Sari that Helene has lost, which has been
reclaimed by Gewaemon. We create it right now and Sari loses 1 Faith, so now she’s at
Faith+0.
After the Revelation of the Avatars, Sari decides to disregard her Avatar: she doesn’t give
Ruthsa +1 Wisdom, but her Faith becomes stronger putting her back at +1.
As they both trusted their Avatar and giving them part of their essence, Darkstar is at
Faith -2 and Amenei is at Faith+0.
After a short break where I write down a few technical details for Gewaemon and the
Minotaur, I ask which Divinity has the clearest agenda in their mind. Amenei seems to be
the most driven:
Luke Amenei needs this beast to release the power of its patroness, so that her
essence will become part of my dominion.
GM Makes sense. Want to see destiny’s threads to give proper advice to Adyria?
Luke Sure! OK, so “when I look into the threads of destiny to foretell the true
course of action, I get to say what will happen if Adyria follows a certain
course of action”. Riiight… OK, let’s do it plain and simple: if Adyria fights
this Minotaur, they will kill it after a long and savage battle.
GM Sometimes, the simpler the better. My turn though, I have to pick two
options…
Luke Right, but remember that I am Amenei “Who ends life.” Thanks to that
epithet, when there’s a “sacrifice” set out by the GM I can always replace the
sacrifice with someone else.
14 The Age of Gods

GM Wicked. So obviously, there will be a sacrifice. But first, I think there will be
a requirement. To be able to kill the Minotaur, it needs to be severed from its
mystic link to the essence of the goddess. The beast draws its strength from
this source, right? Now, the sacrifice. I’d say the Minotaur is weakened when
it falls in love and its lover is killed. You can foresee it’s a mortal, let’s say, a
man named Stesagoras, currently living in the town of Melloucha.
As you can see, I give a good amount of details. The deities can see the threads of destiny and
I want to know what they will do with the information – I have no reason to withhold it.
Luke Who cares about this guy? No, no, no! The sacrifice has to be Helene. She’s
the most beautiful woman on Earth, after all.
GM I love when you play to lose, Luke.
Luke Thanks!
To fulfil the sacrifice, Helene would need to be fatally wounded – but that’s not necessarily
the end for Avatars, depending on the Harm Move option chosen by Luke. Also, Luke has
now made his character relevant to the story and tied her to Adyria, so they can share scenes
together in the future. That’s doubly well-played!
Time to establish the first scene.
GM OK, so now that Amenei has this information, I suppose that you will give it
to Adyria, right?
Luke Obviously.
GM So… (I quickly check speak to the Chosen) where do you appear to your
Avatar, and what do you look like? What are you doing, Adyria?
Tom Adyria is probably at Amenei’s temple, praying.
GM The temple located inside the skeleton of a giant horned demon, right?
Luke Yes. So, I appear – as usual – as an athletic man with the head of a jackal. My
lips don’t move but my voice echoes in your mind.
GM Nice.
Luke And I say: “Adyria, my Chosen, it’s time for you to leave the temple and
do my bidding. I need you to kill… a beast”. You can feel disgust in my
expression. “There’s a Minotaur that has stolen something that belongs to me:
the essence of a dead goddess. Everyone ends up in my dwelling, even gods
– never forget that, Adyria! But, to recover it, you’ll need Helene so that the
beast will fall in love. As it does, you’ll have to sacrifice Helene to make the
beast mortal. Do you understand?”
Tom I’ve decided that Adyria is mute, by the way. But they lower their head,
showing obedience.
GM It seems to me that Amenei requires you to do as the divine heart desires.
Luke Definitively.
GM You know Helene, right? Could you remind me what your backstory with her
is?
The Age of Gods 15

Tom Oh, I know her quite well: I love her, ever since she healed me after my defeat
against Gewaemon.
GM So, you appear to follow their decree. But do you truly do it?
Tom Yeah. I’ll figure out something to save Helene though.
GM Wanna have your cake and eat it, huh? That’s fine, you’re a godlike creature
after all.
If Adyria hadn’t have followed Amenei’s decree, Amenei would have lost 1 Faith and could
have used curse the unfaithful on them. But all is fine for now.
Tom Do we know where the Minotaur and its undead army is?
GM You don’t. It’s not on the map and it’s not information you got from your
vision. How do you proceed?
As a GM, I could have established a scene where the PCs are facing the Minotaur, but I
think it’s more interesting to discover how they find that information.
Tom Maybe we have captured a man or a spy of the Minotaur?
GM Sounds good to me. So… (it’s time to set the stage: I look at the focus on
the mortal realm Move) Adyria is present, that’s a given. Is Helene also
here?
Luke Definitively. I’m helping Adyria.
GM Adyria has asked you and you’ve already said yes? Cool. Right. And is Ruthsa
here?
Bruce I’ll pass for now.
Now, Bruce could have created an Apostle of Death or maybe Trickery, but for brevity’s sake
we’re going to say that he doesn’t.
GM OK, so you’re interrogating this poor man, called Rhothnedr. He bragged
about the Minotaur, maybe saying that people should revere the beast and
its former patroness. Anyway, he’s totally one of the loyal followers of the
Minotaur. Maybe there’s a link with the undead state of the Minotaur’s army?
Are they a different type of undead than yours, Amenei?
Luke Oh yeah. They are the brainless type of undead. Mine are capable of thinking
and they’re sacred.
GM Sure. But there is serenity in this brainless state – or so is the creed of
Rhothnedr. So, Adyria, where are you and what do you do?
Tom We are at Melloucha. This is where we captured that damned soul. He’s
bound with chains and Adyria stands still and silent, like a menacing statue.
GM Wait… How can the two of you communicate if you’re mute?
Tom I have this girl, called Mastë, that follows me and basically serves as my
interpreter.
Mastë, by the way, would have been a great Apostle for Bruce to have used.
16 The Age of Gods

Luke Can I speak the tongue of the gods to him to convince him to tell us
where the Minotaur hides?
GM Unfortunately, no. He's not susceptible to your words: he’s loyal to the
Minotaur.
Here what’s important is the fictional positioning. Part of the trigger of the Move (“they
are susceptible to your words”) isn’t fulfilled, so the Move doesn’t trigger. The player must
find a way to position themselves so that they can trigger the Move.
Luke Wait, as The Pandora, I have the All-giving and Full of Gifts Moves. All-
giving says basically that “if I give him a meaningful present, they become
susceptible to my words”. And I can give him a Quality with Full of gifts.
Let’s say that I give him the Quality: undead, he’d be happy with that, right?
GM Sure, that’s a meaningful gift to him. What does this look like? That Quality
comes with a Detriment, right?
Luke I kiss him passionately on the lips. But it’s like I’m breathing in from his
mouth, as if I was stealing part of his soul or his life. And I give him the
Detriment: disloyal.
GM Cute. So he’ll be disloyal to the Minotaur but also to you at some point.
Luke Probably. But my life is full of treason, I’m fine with that.
GM OK, so now you can speak the tongue of gods to him.
Luke Right. So, they tell me where the Minotaur is, whatever my choices are?
GM Yeah, that’s the basic part of the Move. Even if you had Charisma 0 and
Wisdom 0 and so had no benefit picked or calamities prevented, you would
still have reached your objective. I’m already going to show you where the
Minotaur lives. (I point at the map) It’s here, on this island. “There’s a huge
tree, you can’t miss it”, says Rhothnedr.
Luke Nice. I have a tremendous Charisma of 3 and Wisdom 1, meaning that I
choose every benefit: “they are a permanent ally”, “their own allies consider
me favourably” and “they tell me something useful”. But I also have to pick
one calamity. They can’t “ask me a tough price”, because of my All-giving
Move. So, I choose to prevent “my Divinity’s Faith becomes weaker”.
Bruce sighs in relief. If Helene hadn't chosen this option, Darkstar would have been at
Faith -3, close to triggering the fall into nothingness Move.
GM OK, I have to tell you something interesting. This new alliance spreads fear
and hostility so I can make a Move… (As usual when I have to make a Move,
I check the GM Moves to pick one, and I take a moment to choose one that
I haven’t already made) Here it is. Rhothnedr was sent to spy on Gewaemon
the warrior-king, remember him?
Tom (looking at the map) Yeah, his kingdom isn’t that far away.
The Age of Gods 17

GM Yup. Well, guess what? Now we can see the flags of a fleet approaching
Melloucha. Their banners are those of Gewaemon. Rhothnedr tells you that
Gewaemon also wants him to locate the Minotaur. You can’t let him fall into
Gewaemon's hands.
Here I show signs of peril. That’s one of the more versatile GM Moves.
GM Also, I think that it’d be interesting for you to learn that the Minotaur will
fall in love with you and so you’ll be the one sacrificed. You have a clear vision
of the scene.
Note that the GM can make several Moves, some soft (here, the vision) and some hard (the
approaching fleet) in response to a PC Move.
Tom Adyria looks at the approaching fleet, I guess from a cliff near the sea. They
are silent and still, collecting boulders that no man could lift.
GM You’re going to engage this army?
Tom Yeah. Why not? Should I fear this fleet?
GM Are you kidding? You’re The Juggernaut! I mean, sure, you may be wounded
depending on your choices, but you will destroy that fleet. Unless Gewaemon
is here, but that’s doubtful. However, you’re close to the town of Melloucha
and war, especially when you’re present, tends to leave a trail of deaths and
destruction. You’re okay with that?
Here’s another part of the GM principles: I “name every person, make them mortal”.
Melloucha isn’t a person, sure, and we haven’t seen its habitants till now, but that doesn’t
mean I can’t remind Adyria that they will kill thousands of innocent people.
Tom Well, yeah. They will join the dominion of Amenei, so don’t make it sound
like it’s a bad thing. So I unleash the fury of war upon Gewaemon’s
fleet. Actually, first of all, I have the Juggernaut Move Tall as a Titan,
frightening as a Dragon, meaning that they need a relevant Quality or
else they can't fight me.
GM Yeah, they have Quality: army. They have enough soldiers to foolishly think
they can win that fight.
Tom Poor sods. I unleash the fury of war, throwing boulders at their ships. I
have Valour 2 and Will 1.
GM What do you choose?
Tom That’s a total victory, I “fully defeat them” and Amenei gains 1 Faith…
That brings Amenei to Faith+1. If Adyria hadn't defeated the fleet, I could have attacked
them again on their journey to the Minotaur.
Tom And I don’t want “the battlefield to be ruined for ages”.
GM How sweet. So, that means you are “harmed” and “something or someone
important to you suffers unfortunate consequences”. First, Mastë is captured
during the battle. She’s alive, as far as you know, but they took her to
Gewaemon’s palace. Also, you’re harmed: make the Harm move.
18 The Age of Gods

Tom Actually, I have the Juggernaut Move Death just makes me stronger, so
one of my Harm options is “Survive and get stronger by your defeat; get +1 to
one of your Stats”. I'll pick it and gain +1 Will. I’m at Will+2 now.
GM Yeah, you’re not to be messed with…
As a GM, occasionally ask the Divinities if they want to intervene. That’s the case here:
Luke Amenei would like to help his Avatar, Adyria. They’ve made good progress,
she seems worthy enough. I’m going to grant her an Artefact. It will be
two blades, one bright and one dark. They’re said to have killed Amenei
themselves at the dawn of ages. Basically, you have a hold you can spend to
prevent any harm.
Luke spends 1 Faith, going down to Faith+0.
GM How does Amenei give the Artefact to Adyria?
Luke Well, I think I’m also going to inspire the devoted. I send a band of my
Followers to Adyria to give them the blades.
GM What are their tags?
Luke They have Quality: band, Detriment: fatalist and mmm… let’s say Quality:
undead. My main worshippers are “necromancers and the undead” after all.
However, they add a Detriment on the map and I’m going to add Detriment:
undead rot (drawing a small area the shape of a line) along the road they’ve
used to travel to join Adyria.
These undead are part of the “cult” that Luke defined during character creation.
Alright, let’s jump to the final confrontation. The PCs arrive to the island where the
Minotaur and its army are located. More precisely, they can be found in a gigantic tree,
said to support the sky and the stars. They have taken Stesagoras with them because Adyria
is still pretending that they will sacrifice this poor man; Helene has no idea yet that she’s the
intended lover.
I take a look at my notes as they confront this Peril. I don’t have much because I haven’t had
a lot of time to prepare this part. But that’s okay: this document offers some pre-generated
Perils. I’m going to steal from them. So it’s a Confrontation. First stage: the undead army
(Obstacle). Second stage: the Minotaur (Titan). They have the following Moves: “Undead.
The undead army reforms constantly. It cannot be beaten by mere physical battle” and
“Divine essence. The Minotaur cannot be killed unless its link to the divine essence of
the Nature goddess is weakened”. So the secret reads as follow: “First, you need to pass or
vanquish the undead army; then you need to sever the link between the Goddess and the
Minotaur; and finally, you need to kill the Minotaur with supernatural prowess”.
GM Alright, so how are you going to deal with the undead army?
Luke Quite easily. Helene is going to disguise herself and her comrades as undead
to walk among them without raising suspicion. That’s a miracle from the
Trickery Domain, right?
GM Sounds tricky enough to me.
The Age of Gods 19

Luke Alright, so I perform a miracle. My Will is only 1 but I still have a
whopping Charisma 3. So no calamities, and I choose, let’s say, yeah, the
“prophetic vision”.
GM Cool. So, you manage to pass the undead army without even fighting. And
obviously, the vision you have is the moment where the Minotaur sees you,
standing next to Stesagoras. It falls in love unequivocally, but for you. Now,
you do understand what that means, right? Is Helene afraid, now that she
knows she has to be sacrificed? Has Adyria lied to you all this time?
Luke Nah! She’s fine! Somehow she knew all along – she’s stunning, why would the
Minotaur fall for this guy when it can have her?
The first stage of this Confrontation has been dealt with. Now, it’s time for the second stage.
GM You’re now facing the Minotaur. The interior of the huge tree has been
carved into a throne room. The throne is made of various essences of wood,
and beautiful flowers adorn it, though most of them are dead and dry. When
the Minotaur sees Helene, as in your vision, it jumps off the throne, lowing,
deeply in love. It would be the moment to strike, Adyria… What do you do?
Luke Wait, can I do something first?
GM Sure, you know what should happen, you’re not really surprised.
Tom Yeah, besides, Adyria hesitates. They can’t really bring themselves to do it.
Luke Helene throws an ambiguous look at Adyria and, without a word, stabs
herself in the chest with a dagger.
GM The Minotaur shrieks, sounding almost like a human. There is a note of
despair in its scream that chills your marrow.
Tom I seize the opportunity and I strike furiously at the beast.
GM Go ahead, unleash the fury of war against it.
Tom I still have Valour 2 but now I have Will 2. So, I choose again to “fully defeat”
it and “make my Divinity’s Faith stronger”. And I choose that there will be no
“unfortunate consequences”, nor “battlefield devastated”. After a battle lasting
many days, I behead it.
GM Right. You’re harmed then?
Tom Yeah but I use Amenei’s Artefact to prevent it.
GM Good call! So, Helene. You clearly have been harmed.
Luke Yeah, I’m going to choose “Die and make your Apotheosis move”.
GM Oh man! So with that sacrifice, you really die, right here, right now?
Luke Yup.
GM Awesome! What happens exactly?
Luke So first, I hope you didn’t like the Tree of the World too much, as when
The Pandora dies their remains vomit out blights and evils. As I say which
monstrosities roam the place, I'll make them banshees or furies: spirits of
unrequited or betrayed love that tear you apart with dagger-like claws.
20 The Age of Gods

GM Charming. Now, tell us about your Apotheosis.
Luke So, as I can’t influence Darkstar because they trusted me, I influence the
destiny of the world with my death: Darkstar’s Fate goes towards their goal
(meaning it will go positive because Darkstar is aiming for Salvation, so their Fate
is now +1) and I leave behind a Relic. Let me see… “When I leave behind
a Relic, I have to choose one of my Pandora Moves and link it to one of
my possessions or to a part of my body”. The Move will be All-giving and
I think the Relic will be my calcified heart, pierced by the dagger, always
bleeding.
GM So gross. So cool. Also, as the Minotaur has been killed, didn’t that trigger
Amenei’s Fate Move?
Luke Oh right! It says: “Each time a powerful individual ends up in your dwelling
sooner than he should have, your Fate goes the way you want”. I guess it does,
yeah. So, because I want Ruin, I now have Fate -1.
GM Well, that was awesome. Time to end the session!
As the remaining Avatar (again, let’s put Bruce, Ruthsa and Darkstar aside for brevity’s
sake), Adyria is the only one to trigger the end of session Move.
Tom I choose, well… I would have chosen that Adyria has gotten closer to Helene
but she’s dead. So, I think that Adyria is going to drown their sorrows with
Stesagoras. They become closer to a mortal.
After another session where Adyria fights Gewaemon and reclaims Sari’s Artefact, Sari hits
Faith+4. As she is full of grace, she triggers the End is nigh with Fate+1, so she will
only choose one option. It’s time to end the First Age and to begin the Second Age. But first,
she chooses one blessing.
Tom I’m going to pick from my specific blessings: “A city becomes prosperous and
enters a golden age; add the Quality: growing and Quality: enlightened to
a small zone”. With the defeat of Gewaemon, I think his palace and the city
surrounding it becomes a better place. Now that they can focus on knowledge
and not war, the city is blossoming.
Luke Even though I didn’t trigger the Move, I still can mess things up a bit. I’ll
spend 1 Fate to cast a blight upon this land. It’s also from my specific list: “A
defeated Peril returns from the dead, somehow changed and corrupted, but
more powerful and vengeful than ever”. Gewaemon? I don’t know… I must
confess that I want to see the Minotaur again. So the Minotaur it is.
GM Alright, let’s reset Fate and Faith. And we’ll be good next session to launch
the Second Age.
But that’s another story…
The Age of Gods 21

CHAPTER II
MOVES
For the most part, you play Godsend by taking it in turns to describe what your
Divinities and Avatars do and say, while the GM describes the world around you.
Sometimes your description will trigger a move: a chunk of rules that narrows down
that conversation into a particular set of stakes and outcomes. Everyone should be
on the lookout for move triggers – when a trigger is hit, work through the choices it
presents, tie them back into the fiction, and then carry on telling your story together.
Basic Divinity Moves

These are the core actions divinities take in the world. As you lose grip on your
divinity, you risk losing access to these.
See destiny’s threads
When you look into the threads of destiny to foretell the true course of action, say what
will happen if your Divinity’s Avatar follows a certain course of action.
But the GM will choose two to fill out the details of your foretelling:
There’s a requirement: something must be done first, or something or someone is
needed.
There’s an opponent: something or someone will try to prevent it and is well-
prepared.
There’s a sacrifice: someone or something will suffer harm in the process.
Grant an artefact
When you hand over an Artefact to your Avatar, create a Major Artefact following the
rules on your Domain playbook. Your Avatar then claims it.
When you hand over an Artefact to an Apostle, create a Minor Artefact (following the
rules on your Domain playbook). Your Apostle then claims it.
Inspire the devoted
When you inspire worshippers to support your Avatar, create a band of Followers
following the rules of your Domain playbook. They will naturally find your Avatar as
soon as they can. You can only have one group of Followers at any time.
Peripheral Divinity Moves

These moves are here not to represent your divine power, but to manage the social
dynamics of the gods.
Preside over the heavenly pantheon
When you assemble a gathering of deities and declare that a divinity equal in rank
to you is unworthy, spend 2 Oath against them and lower their position in the
pantheon a step.
Recall a favour
When an Avatar tries to interfere against your will, you may spend 1 Oath to force
their Divinity to compel them to do as the divine heart desires and halt their
interference.
Moves 23
Implore a higher deity
When you beg for help from a divinity higher than you in the pantheon, give them 1
Oath on you and tell them the injustice or shame you’re facing. Hold 2: while you
keep this hold, they can’t act against you or your Avatar.
They can spend one of your hold whenever they take concrete steps to fulfil your
request for aid.
If they are not helping swiftly enough for your liking, you may spend 1 hold to
choose an additional calamity when their Avatar uses a move.
Do as the divine heart desires
When you issue an order to your Avatar…
Either they follow your decree; all is well, the divine order is maintained.
Or they don’t follow your decree, and you rightfully resent that arrogance. Lose 1
point of Faith. You may also curse the unfaithful.
Curse the unfaithful
When you punish your Avatar, say what curse you bestow upon them. They are now
forever afflicted by that curse.
The format of the curse should be similar to a Move. For instance: “When you want to lie,
don’t” or “When you want to lie, vomit snakes, lizards, toads and spiders” or “When you tell
a prophecy, people won’t believe you”. The simpler, the better.
Favour a mortal
Once in an Age you may favor a mortal being, fascinated by their beauty or their skill.
Say who they are and how they enthralled you; place them on the map.
If they are important for the fate of the world (your call), your Fate goes one step
towards your goal. However if they betray you or are killed, your Fate goes two steps
away from it.
Be full of grace
When you reach Faith +4, reset to Faith +0, ascend to a higher position in the
pantheon, and trigger The End is Nigh.
Fall into Nothingness
When you reach Faith -4, reset to Faith +0 and lose a Basic Divinity Move.
Once per campaign, you can instead reset to Faith -1, but you must change your
Epithet and Sub-Domain and move lower in the Pantheon.
If you have no remaining Basic Divinity Moves, you lose your Domain and are slowly
forgotten by the world.
24 Moves
Basic Avatar Moves
Overcome the tides of destiny
When you try to oppose destiny or when you try to accomplish epic deeds, you barely do
it, whatever the odds were.
Choose also any number of additional benefits up to your Wisdom:
You do it with grace and ease, doing what no mortal could have ever done.
Destiny has changed; the GM will tell you which obstacle or trial on your path is no
longer relevant for now.
Your action has more potency in the face of destiny than you expected; move your
Divinity’s Fate one step towards Salvation or Ruin.
Finally, choose any number of calamities up to your Valour that won’t happen:
You are fatally wounded in the process – you are harmed.
You reveal one of your weaknesses, to all or to your worst enemy. Say what it is.
You attract unwanted attention; the GM will make a Move.
The calamities you haven’t chosen happen; the GM will flesh out the details.
Perform a miracle
When you channel the power of your Divinity to bend the fabric of reality itself, say
what you try to accomplish. You manage to alter the world more or less as you wanted;
update the map and add a Quality or erase a Detriment.
Choose also any number of additional benefits up to your Will:
You fully accomplish what you wanted; the miracle is permanent and affects exactly
what you wanted.
People see the greatness of your Divinity and they begin to worship them; your
Divinity’s Faith becomes stronger.
You have a prophetic vision; the GM will tell you something interesting.
Finally, choose any number of calamities up to your Charisma that won’t happen:
You exhaust yourself; take -1 on one of your Stats until the end of this Age.
An important sacrifice to your Divinity has to be made; your Divinity’s Faith
becomes weaker.
Something or someone important to you or your Divinity suffers unfortunate
consequences; the GM will make a Move.
Moves 25
Unleash the fury of war
When you engage in battle against a powerful opponent (an army, a champion, another
Avatar, etc) that you can harm, you achieve your objective.
Choose any number of additional benefits up to your Valour:
You fully defeat your enemy, preventing them from fleeing, recovering and
regrouping; you won’t have to unleash the fury of war against them again.
People see the might of your Divinity and they begin to worship them; your
You learn something about your true enemy; the GM will tell you something about
a Peril.
Finally, choose any number of calamities up to your Will that won’t happen:
You are fatally wounded in the process – you are harmed.
Something or someone important to you or your Divinity suffers unfortunate
consequences; the GM will make a Move.
The field of battle is ruined for this Age and the Age to come. Update the map
with a large area (Detriment: devastated). If any terrain feature was located here
beforehand, erase it.
Speak the tongue of gods
When you try to convince an important NPC and they are susceptible to your words,
they’ll do what you’ve asked.
Choose also any number of additional benefits up to your Charisma:
You may permanently count them as ally, unless you betray them; you won’t have to
speak the tongue of gods again with them.
Their own allies consider you favourably.
They tell you something useful; the GM will tell you what.
Finally, choose any number of calamities up to your Wisdom that won’t happen:
They ask for a tough price to pay to ensure their loyalty.
You have shown your own limits in needing help; your Divinity’s Faith becomes
weaker.
This new alliance spreads fear and hostility, enemies of your ally plot their own
schemes; the GM will make a Move.
26 Moves
Peripheral Avatar Moves
Harm
When you are fatally wounded, choose one:
Die and trigger Apotheosis.
Survive but be weakened by your trial; get -1 to one of your Stats.
Survive but reveal that your Divinity can’t protect you; your Divinity’s Faith becomes
weaker.
Survive and change your Role.
You can pick any option only once.
Apotheosis
When you die, choose two as you ascend to the divine realm:
You influence your Divinity as you partially merge together; you can change their
Epithet, their Sub-domain, or cause them to seek Salvation instead of Ruin or vice
versa. They can refuse, but to do so they must fall into Nothingness.
Your death somehow influences the destiny of the world; your Divinity’s Fate goes
one step towards Salvation or Ruin.
You leave behind you a testament of your glory, a Relic.
Relics
When you leave behind a Relic, choose one of your Avatar Moves and link it to one of
your possessions or to a part of your body.
When you claim a Relic of a former Avatar, you gain the Move associated with it,
some of their memories and part of their personality. Say how it changes you.
Story Moves
Focus on the mortal realm
When we need to focus on dramatic events happening on the mortal realm and
involving at least one Avatar…
1. Establish the scene: say which Avatars are present, where they are on the map, and
what they are doing.
2. Focus on the Avatar most involved in current events, and find out what they want
to do during this scene.
3. Focus on the Avatar that has been least involved in recent scenes and find out
what they want to do in this scene. If they don’t see anything to do, they may play
an Apostle of the more involved Avatar or arrive later during the scene when they
find a reason to be present.
4. Focus on the remaining Avatars and find out if they want to be present in this
scene. If they don’t see anything to do, they may play an Apostle of the less
involved Avatar or arrive later as above.
If somebody played an Apostle, they may roam the land after that scene.
Moves 27
Roam the land
When some Avatars were not involved during previous scenes and had nothing to do on
their own, each player who wasn’t involved picks one:
They change their Role in their Divinity’s clergy.
They went preaching and working miracles; their Divinity gets +1 Faith.
They learned new information; the GM will tell them something useful or
interesting, or reveal a Peril.
They made the world better or worse; erase or add a Quality or Detriment.
Optionally: when some Divinities were not involved during previous scenes and had
nothing to do on their own, each of those Divinities picks one:
They inspired the devoted.
They favoured a mortal.
They built a new shrine; say what it is and place it on the map.
They performed valuable service for an equal or inferior deity unknown before now.
Describe the deity, their Domain, and what you did – gain 1 Oath on them.
In each case, quickly say what happened and move on to the next scene.
If multiple plot lines are happening at the same time and your Avatar is
involved in one of them, not being involved in the last scene doesn’t mean
that 'you had nothing to do on your own' and trigger this move.
This Move should mainly be triggered by players who have been playing an
Apostle, or to fill long periods of inactivity for their characters.
Speak to the Chosen

When a Divinity appears on the mortal realm to converse with their Avatar, or speak to
them through signs or dreams…
1. Establish the scene: say where they are (and point it on the map if possible),
which appearance has taken the Divinity and what the Avatar is doing.
2. Play a quick scene or, if through divination or dreams, give the Avatar the
substance of the message.
3. Follow the Avatar and find out what they will do about it.
Focus on the divine realm
When large events unfold before the eyes of the divinities and they need to confer…
1. Establish the scene: say which Divinities are present, what their surroundings in
the mythic realm look like, and what they are doing.
2. Focus on the Divinity that has been least involved in recent scenes and find out
what they want to do. Speak to the Chosen, if need be.
3. Ask the other Divinities if they want to accompany the less involved Divinity. If
not, they may roam the land afterwards.
28 Moves
End of session
At the end of every session, each Avatar chooses one:
You have become closer to another Avatar. Give them a Quality or a Detriment and
explain how they are the epitome of this epithet.
You have a better understanding of your pivotal role in these troubled times. Erase
one of your Qualities or Detriments.
You have become closer to some mortal. Sketch out an NPC and say how they are
favourable to you. The GM will flesh out the details.
The End is Nigh
When years and generations pass by, the world enters a new Age. Apostles and
Followers disappear but Avatars survive, unless their player wishes otherwise.
If the Divinity triggering this Move with Be Full of Grace has a positive Fate, they
choose one blessing for each point of Fate over 0 (up to 3):
An NPC or Apostle becomes a legend, and their heroism brings hope to the land.
You offer a new invention to humanity; add a relevant Quality to a small area.
You interfere in a mortal’s life as a valuable service to another Divinity; they hold one
less Oath over you. The mortal is an NPC in the coming Age.
If the Divinity triggering the Move has a negative Fate, they choose one blight for
each point of Fate under 0 (up to 3):
An NPC dies in atrocious or shameful circumstances; their lineage is lost.
A new Peril emerges. Say what it is and which objective or purpose they have.
A minor divinity is forgotten; their domain becomes chaotic and others may covet it.
Other Divinities may spend 1 Fate to choose a blessing or a blight.
Afterwards, reset the Fate of each Divinity to 0, and reset their Faith: the lowest
Divinity has Faith -1, the highest has Faith +1, and the others have Faith +0.
The End of Time
When the fourth Age ends, the Divinity triggering The End is Nigh instead brings
about their current goal: Salvation or Ruin.
If they bring Ruin, they narrate how the world is devastated, according to their
Domain, and if mankind survives or not.
If they bring Salvation, they describe how and then each player narrates what
happens to their Avatar and their Divinity.
Moves 29
CHAPTER III
DIVINE DOMAINS
Godsend presents six different divine domains for your gods to draw on. When you
make your god, you’ll pick one of these playbooks and use them to guide their look,
cult, legend and abilities.
Death Nature
Ruler of the underworld, As the sun rises and
commander of the dead, sets, as the seasons turn,
master of the scales, and as birth leads to death
sovereign of shadows. leads to new life, you
sit at the centre of the
wheel commanding all.
Justice Trickery
The laws of mortals are Faith requires
but a profane reflection unpredictability: if each
of the universe’s cosmic prayer had the desired
order. Those who break result, that’d just be
your commands must face science. So you keep
justice. mortals guessing, and
keep the other divinities
squabbling. It’s all in
their best interests, of
course.
Knowledge War
You bring insight. You There is no greater
bring civilization. It sacrifice a mortal can
is thanks to you that pay than their own life,
mortals do not huddle and there is no god who
cold in caves clad in rags, receives more desperate
and they will show fealty. prayers than a god of
war. You are crimson
and steel, and you are
glorious.
Divine Domains 31
32
Death
The Netherworld lies beyond a vast Ocean, or maybe under the earth, or even in a
different plane of existence. There stands a severe throne and on that throne sits a dark
figure, a powerful sovereign. You.
Look
Choose one of each, or make your own:
Symbol: a bloodied skull, a scythe and a sickle crossed inside a circle, three bright
stars upon a dark night, a black jackal holding weighing scales.
Appearance: masculine, feminine, ambiguous, animal.
Face: severe, rotting, beautiful, cadaverous.
Eyes: forgiving, blind, distant, sardonic.
Voice: cackling, whispering, broken, soothing.
Wear: a dark robe, white linen wrappings, nude, a sceptre made of myrrh whose
thorns drip with blood.
Cult
Sacred rites: to sacrifice a black ram; to read publicly the Book of the Dead; to travel
at the end of one's life to a secluded place and wait for death.
Sacred laws: worship the family ancestors; embalm the dead, the undead are sacred;
bury the dead with their worldly possessions.
Main worshippers: necromancers and the undead; physicians and sick people; an
elite who will reincarnate.
Landmarks
Draw a sign of one from each on the map, or make your own:
Wonder
A necropolis where all kings are buried, and where the undead can live safely.
A river of blood, where the spirits of the dead come answer the questions of the
living for a dreadful price.
A frozen landscape where the sun never rises, always clouded in darkness and
blizzard where grows the tree bearing the fruit of immortality.
Shrine
The skeletal remains of a legendary beast, with an altar sitting where its heart was.
A glade inside a gloomy swamp, surrounded by will-o’-the-wisps.
A dark grotto used as a catacomb, its walls decorated with blood glyphs.
Threat
A terrible plague whose remedy remains unknown.
An army of undead, led by the Avatar of a dead deity.
A giant serpent eating the souls of the dead, preventing them from passing
peacefully into the Netherworld.
Divine Domains 33
Epithet
Choose one:
Who ends life: When you see destiny’s threads and “there’s a sacrifice”, you can
name someone else who must suffer harm instead.
Lord of the Great Dwelling: When you favour a mortal and that mortal is killed,
your Fate goes towards your goal.
Master of the shadow-dwelling place: To fall into nothingness, you need to
reach Faith -5.
Sub-domain
Choose one (you can’t take a Sub-domain already taken by another Divinity):
Disease: Mankind has always been susceptible to disease, and the chaos of the end
times makes this especially pervasive. At the beginning of a new Age, a disease spreads
amongst a population; add the Detriment: disease.
Judgment: Truth must be told. At the beginning of a new Age, give 1 hold to
your Avatar. They can spend that hold to ask a question to someone that must be
answered with truth.
Fertility: Mortals grow, but the earth is such a small place that conflict is inevitable.
At the beginning of a new Age, a population grows out of control, merging under one
rule with another neighbouring population; the GM may create a relevant Peril.
Pantheon
Say which deity played a part in your death. They get 1 Oath on you but you are
currently higher in the pantheon than them.
Say which deity is your sibling (brother or sister). Give each other 1 Oath and your
relationship is unchanged.
Revelation
When your Avatar is chosen…
Either you think they are faithful, and grant them your blessings; they gain Wisdom+1
but your Faith becomes weaker. When they die, they can’t choose to influence you.
Or they become your Avatar despite your will; they first have to prove themselves
worthy of your support. Your Faith becomes stronger. When they die, they may
choose to influence you.
Fate Move
Each time a powerful individual ends up in your dwelling sooner than they should
have, your Fate goes a step towards your goal.
34 Divine Domains
End of Time
Start at 0 Fate. At character creation, choose if your goal is the world’s Salvation or
Ruin.
Also, when The End is Nigh, you may choose amongst these blessings:
An important character (PC or NPC) is brought back from the dead.
A Peril Faction is hunted down by winged furies that you’ve sent; their numbers
dwindle (reduce their size Quality by one step).
And amongst these blights:
A terrible plague afflicts a city, which has been quarantined. Add the Detriment:
disease and erase all of its Qualities.
A defeated Peril returns from the dead, somehow changed and corrupted, but more
powerful and vengeful than ever.
Artefacts
When you create a Major Artefact, spend 1 Faith and say what it looks like. Tell a
short legendary event that involves it. When your Avatar claims it, they hold 1. Your
Avatar may spend this hold to protect themselves from a fatal wound (and thus avoid
triggering harm).
When you create a Minor Artefact, say what it looks like and give it a Quality.
Followers
When you create Followers, say who they are (usually taken from your main
worshippers) and where they are on the map. They usually have a Quality depending
on who they are, Quality: band, and the Detriment: fatalist.
Also, choose one:
They add a Detriment somewhere; say which one and update the map.
They erase a Detriment somewhere; the GM will say which one and update the map.
Divine Domains 35
36
Justice
The universe is order. The gods are there to uphold the laws that mankind must obey, but
even they must follow their own rules. Those who break these laws commit not only a
crime but also a sacrilege. They must be harshly punished.
Look
Symbol: a dove upon a laurel crown, an eye engraved on weighing scales, a rising
sun, a hand swearing upon a marble tablet.
Appearance: masculine, feminine, asexual, animal.
Face: graceful, flawless, emotionless, furious.
Eyes: blazing, merciless, blind, stern.
Voice: cold, imperious, harmonious, resenting.
Wear: a white robe without any ornament, tally stick and scales, a sword and a
golden shield, adorned with a halo of blinding light.
Cult
Sacred rites: to bathe for five days during a cleansing ceremony; to melt weapons
that have shed blood and forge them anew; to sacrifice a heifer.
Sacred laws: never lie and always act with honour; punish those who have betrayed
civilization and broken its laws; accept truce when offered.
Main worshippers: judges and public servants; citizens and townsfolk; nobility,
metalworkers and architects.
Landmarks
Wonder
A wondrous city, a shining beacon of civilization and crossroad for trade and
diplomacy.
An impregnable fortress and its subterranean network, offering the people protection.
A sacred paving stone, keeping forever closed a source of evil.
Shrine
A peaceful temple inside a marble palace, next to the tribunal.
A sacred trireme, swift and old.
The road between two impressive cities, bound by sacred stones.
Threat
A jail where fallen angels have been imprisoned, about to open its gates.
An army of giants, gathering underneath, making the earth rumble.
An insidious surge of madness and berserk rage, making people lie and kill.
Divine Domains 37
Epithet
Choose one:
The Impartial Judge: When a sacred law of any Divinity is broken, your Avatar
may choose an additional benefit or one less calamity when they act to punish the
lawbreaker.
The Inescapable: When a sacred law of any Divinity is broken, your Followers
always know where the lawbreaker can be found and no one will give them shelter.
Lord of the Sacred Eye: When the GM introduces a demigod, mythic creature or
titanic monster as a Peril, you will always know its weakness.
Sub-domain
Civilization: Teaching arts, bestowing inventions, and offering divine gifts will lead
mankind to progress. At the beginning of a new Age, a population discovers how
to deal with one of its Detriments. They erase this Detriment and gain a relevant
Quality. However, they arouse envy; the GM creates a Peril.
Judgment: Truth must be told. At the beginning of a new Age, give 1 hold to
your Avatar. They can spend that hold to ask a question to someone that must be
answered with truth.
Luck: Destiny cannot be influenced but some possess more than others; the fools
call that luck. At the beginning of a new Age, give 1 hold to your Avatar. They can
spend that hold to choose an additional benefit or to prevent a calamity from
happening.
Pantheon
Say which deity you defeated in a duel of might. You get 1 Oath on them and you are
higher in the pantheon than them.
Say which deity is your rival. Give each other 1 Oath and your relationship is
unchanged.
Revelation
Either you think they are faithful, and grant them your blessings; they gain Valour+1
Fate Move
Each time the laws you uphold are honoured by mortals despite an untruthful way
being easier, your Fate goes a step towards your goal.
38 Divine Domains
End of Time
Ruin.
When The End is Nigh, you may choose amongst these blessings:
A place becomes a sanctuary where absolutely no violence can be done; add the
Quality: haven to a place on the map.
You erect a protective statue and give it to someone. Name an NPC: no harm can be
done to them when they are near this statue.
Divine agents are banned from a certain area; you can use curse the unfaithful
on any Avatar that enters a small area on the map.
Minor deities of revenge are actively chasing down those who deserve punishment;
the GM will create a new Peril.
Artefacts
Avatar may spend 1 hold to choose an additional benefit when they overcome the
tides of destiny.
Followers
When you create Followers, say who they are (they are usually taken from your main
on who they are, Quality: band, and the Detriment: judgemental.
Also, choose one:
They add a Detriment somewhere; the GM will say which one and update the map.
They erase a Quality somewhere; the GM will say which one and update the map.
Divine Domains 39
40
Knowledge
Gods give gifts of knowledge, crafts, arts, and inventions to mankind. They gave
fire. They taught how to tame horses. Gods know everything that was, is and will be.
Mortals are the students of the gods. And they still have a lot to learn.
Look
Symbol: a scroll and a pen, a forging hammer crossed by a weaver’s spindle upon a
sextant, an eye inside a crystal ball surrounded by five stars, a finger on closed lips.
Appearance: masculine, feminine, asexual, animal.
Face: wrinkled, concealed, friendly, pale.
Eyes: wise, lost, sharp, kind.
Voice: calm, mellifluous, weary, trembling.
Wear: a satchel and several silver scroll containers, leopard hide over blue robes, a
magic wand and a lyre, an elaborate headdress.
Cult
Sacred rites: to carry a veiled basket filled with unknown objects to an underground
cavern, and trade it there for another basket; to weave the most beautiful vestment
for a statue representing the deity; to immolate a young child.
Sacred laws: preserve writings and knowledge at all cost; a promise to never repeat a
secret is sacred; seek wise counsel before acting.
Main worshippers: scholars, philosophers and teachers; craftspersons, guild members
and musicians; wizards and spies.
Landmarks
Wonder
A library gathering all recorded knowledge in the world.
A university where the great minds of the world are teaching inquisitive students.
A dark obsidian tower where magic is practiced, and secret rituals and mysteries are
taught.
Shrine
A secret place, known only by the initiates, only marked by haphazardly scattered
and strangely marked rocks.
A temple near boiling sulphur water, known to deliver oracles.
A long-dormant volcano.
Threat
A secret order of assassins, planning to kill an important figure.
Tempests of magic, swirling toward civilization, bringing chaos and corruption.
An ancient prophecy about the End of Time, gathering more and more followers.
Divine Domains 41
Epithet
Choose one:
Of many devices: The Artefacts you grant have an additional hold.
Who sees all: When you see destiny’s threads, the GM chooses one option and
you choose and tell the other.
Lord of Foresight: When you trigger the End is nigh, you may choose one more
blessing or blight.
Sub-domain
Magic: At the beginning of a new Age after someone else triggered The End is Nigh,
your Fate goes towards your goal.
Secret: It doesn’t matter if it’s well-hidden or not, you know. You just do. At the
beginning of a new Age, ask the GM about something hidden and they will tell you.
Strategy: At the beginning of a new Age, say who has the most powerful military and
say what is needed to defeat them.
Pantheon
Say which deity accepted one of your precious gifts. You get 1 Oath on them and your
Say which deity is your sibling (brother or sister). Give each other 1 Oath and your
Revelation
Either you think they are faithful, and grant them your blessings; they gain Wisdom+1
Fate Move
Each time an important secret is revealed or a wondrous landmark is constructed, your
Fate goes a step towards your goal.
42 Divine Domains
End of Time
Ruin.
A city becomes prosperous and enters a golden age; add the Quality: growing and
Quality: enlightened to a small zone.
A place is a sanctuary to truth: no one there can lie.
A Peril learns how to become more powerful or knows how to attack a weakness; the
GM will make it harder to struggle with or will make a GM Move.
The sources of magic become chaotic, the use of magic may result in the exact
opposite of what was intended; add to the whole map the Detriment: chaotic magic.
Artefacts
Avatar may spend this hold to ask any question about a Peril. If they use this answer
when they confront the Peril, they may choose an additional benefit.
Followers
on who they are, Quality: band, and the Detriment: nosey.
Also, choose one:
Divine Domains 43
44
Nature
Sun. Moon. Mother. Child. Summer. Winter. Water. Earth. Flood. Drought. Life.
Death. You are dual, primal, omnipresent and nothing can stand in your way.
Look
Symbol: a sheaf of grain upon a solar disk, a sturdy oak tree, the head of a furious
horse, a sickle and a shepherd’s crook.
Appearance: masculine, feminine, ambiguous, animal.
Face: kind, lively, full, severe.
Eyes: bright, caring, cool, forgiving.
Voice: growling, soft, fiery, sorrow.
Wear: a simple robe, a mantle of thousand blooming flowers, stinking animal pelts, a
single-jewelled sceptre bright as the Sun.
Cult
Sacred rites: to participate in orgiastic ceremonies; to celebrate a floral festival; to
spill on the ground the blood of a virgin.
Sacred laws: never kill a wild animal; only work by day; never shout or lie near flames.
Main worshippers: farmers and shepherds; secluded druids and priestesses, hidden
in the woods; married women and mothers.
Landmarks
Wonder
A vast and thick forest, full of giant animals almost as clever as human beings.
A serpentine river, whose tides bring alluvions to fertile lands.
A gathering of nymphs, elves and dwarves who bring curses or blessings upon the
land they dwell.
Shrine
A severe-looking but bucolic temple, located in a forest that no traveller may pass
through without getting lost.
A peak sanctuary, located on the summit of a mountain, with a gorgeous view on the
valley below.
A blood-spoiled cavern, hidden behind a waterfall, lit by nothing except a softly
glowing pit.
Threat
An unstoppable giant boar that ravages the land, enraged by the wound a hunter
inflicted upon it.
A curse that makes men and women sterile, and the born children dead or deformed.
An everlasting winter that sickens cattle and withers any crop.
Divine Domains 45
Epithet
Choose one:
Who provides food: When a shortage of food or water should appear on the map,
you may decide where it appears.
Who lives under the sea: Your Followers also have the Quality: seafaring or
Quality: army.
The cloud-gatherer: Sacrifices to appease your furious anger are an accepted part of
your worship. When your Avatar performs a miracle, the calamity “an important
sacrifice to you has to be made” must happen.
Sub-domain
Choose one (you can’t take a Sub-domain actually taken by another Divinity):
Hunt: At the beginning of a new Age, say which Faction or Titan is the most
dangerous and what is needed to defeat them.
Fertility: Mortals grow and thrive but the earth is such a small place. At the
beginning of a new Age, a population grows out of control, merging under one rule
with another neighbouring population; the GM may create a relevant Peril.
Destruction: No defence built by Mortals stands the test of time. At the beginning
of a new Age, a fortress or any other defence is destroyed. If there’s any Quality
attached to it, erase it.
Pantheon
Say which deity is your child. They get 1 Oath on you but you are higher in the
pantheon than them.
Say which deity stole something from you or tricked you somehow. You get 1 Oath on
them and your relationship is unchanged.
Revelation
Either you think they are faithful, and grant them your blessings; they gain Will+1 but
your Faith becomes weaker. When they die, they can’t choose to influence you.
Fate Move
Each time your cult is more desirable than another deity’s cult and you gain a fair
number of their worshippers, your Fate goes a step towards your goal.
46 Divine Domains
End of Time
Ruin.
Your Followers help a population to culture the land. Choose a city: its population
grows greatly, add the Quality: growing and the Quality: granary.
An Apostle has a child who will also become an Apostle in their own right; they
keep their parent’s Belief, in addition to their own.
Savage beasts roam a natural area; this area is guarded by a Peril and cannot be
entered without facing it.
The cruel winter lasts longer than it should, and the world is still frozen; the whole
map gains the Detriment: famine.
Artefacts
Avatar may spend 1 hold to choose an additional benefit when they perform a
miracle.
Followers
on who they are, Quality: band, and the Detriment: hedonist.
Also, choose one:
Divine Domains 47
48
Trickery
You’re not likeable. But you don’t care. Your words have hurt even the gods. But you
don’t care. You tell hard truths, you tell lies, you do what you please, following no rules.
Joke’s on them.
Look
Symbol: a laughing mask and a weeping mask, a cloud hiding a full moon, a spider’s
web, a broken mirror.
Appearance: masculine, feminine, concealed, animal.
Face: concealed, handsome, twisted, shifting.
Eyes: cunning, odd-eyed, piercing, furtive.
Voice: seductive, mellifluous, youthful, bitter.
Wear: dark hooded robes, rich and dark nondescript clothes, a flute and a goblet of
mead or wine, a silver mask and a jewelled mirror.
Cult
Sacred rites: to drink and pour alcohol on the ground; to sacrifice the survivors of a
shipwreck; to give votive offerings, such as gold coins and precious gems.
Sacred laws: always offer hospitality, even to a stranger; speak the truth, even when
it’s ugly and can lead to discord; expel a scapegoat during times of disaster.
Main worshippers: thieves and traitors; bards and prostitutes; travellers, beggars and
misshapen people.
Landmarks
Wonder
A land of illusions where dreams and nightmares become prophetic.
A marketplace where exotic products from all over the world can be found, a
crossroad of foreign cultures.
A tribe of fierce shape-shifters.
Shrine
A temple opened only during the night and especially lit during full moon.
A place of narrow access, located on a dangerous cliff.
A tower at the gates of a city where the busiest road leads.
Threat
A treasure everyone covets.
A rebellious faction that threaten the current authority.
A feud that can become a war because something has been stolen or someone has
been abducted.
Divine Domains 49
Epithet
Choose one:
Who breaks the laws: You can have an additional group of Followers. They have the
Detriment: unruly instead of Detriment: outlaws.
Whose words are honey: When you implore a higher deity and you already owe
them 1 Oath, don’t give them 1 Oath.
The Messenger: When you ask your Avatar to do what the divine heart
desires and they follow your decree, you gain 1 Faith.
Sub-domain
Strife: No alliance stands the test of time. At the beginning of a new Age, across the
mortal world enemies declare truce and allies become enemies.
Secret: It doesn’t matter if it’s well-hidden or not, you know. You just do. At the
beginning of a new Age, ask the GM about something hidden and they will tell you.
Luck: Destiny cannot be influenced but some possess more than others; the fools
call that luck. At the beginning of a new Age, give 1 hold to your Avatar. They can
spend that hold to choose an additional benefit or to prevent a calamity from
happening.
Pantheon
Say which deity you stole from or otherwise tricked. They get 1 Oath on you and you
are lower in the pantheon than them.
Say which deity is your secret lover. You get 1 Oath on them and you are lower in the
pantheon than them.
Revelation
Either you think they are faithful enough and grant them your blessings; they gain
Charisma+1 but your Faith becomes weaker. When they die, they can’t choose to
influence you.
Fate Move
Each time an important decision is changed because of your influence, your Fate goes a
step towards your goal.
50 Divine Domains
End of Time
Ruin.
An Apostle is granted the ability to change its appearance between two aspects; they
can change between their Look and another one, picked from any Apostle Look.
Two Perils fight against each other; the GM will decide which one survives and
which one is defeated and no longer a Peril.
A city is strife-ridden with petty rivalries and civil disorder, nothing good can come
out of this town; add the Detriment: chaos.
You play one of your cunning tricks on an Avatar; if their Divinity seeks Salvation,
they begin the coming Age at Fate -1; if they wanted Ruin, at +1.
Artefacts
Avatar may spend 1 hold to choose an additional benefit when they speak the
tongue of gods.
Followers
on who they are, Quality: band, and the Detriment: outlaws.
Also, choose one:
They will erase a Detriment somewhere; the GM will say which one and update the
map.
Divine Domains 51
52
War
What’s better than riding your horse, free as the wind? To kill without hesitation? To
plunder and raze? To destroy the pretentious creations of others? To laugh at the distress
of the weak? That’s what an intense life of blood and steel will copiously provide! Enjoy
it while it lasts. So then, to arms, people! Show your strength and your iron will!
Look
Symbol: a flaming sword, a bow made of bone and a quiver of arrows, a steel hand
holding a spear, an ever-watching black eye.
Appearance: masculine, feminine, androgynous, animal.
Face: scarred, angular, weathered, dashing.
Eyes: mad, single eye, wary, merciless.
Voice: menacing, cold, raspy, loud.
Wear: shining plate armour, nothing (to show their muscular body), a cape soiled of
blood, a crown of ivory and rubies.
Cult
Sacred rites: to pour human blood; to sacrifice a black bull or a lion; to swear on
someone’s arms.
Sacred laws: fight honourably; gather on a battlefield to fight; eat the vanquished.
Main worshippers: savage unruly warriors; organized professional soldiers; fierce
weapon masters.
Landmarks
Wonder
A colossus bearing golden armour, standing watch over a city.
A great wall made of steel, to prevent raids from the barbarians.
An army of clay statues guarding the mummies of legendary rulers, inanimate so
long as their masters are left in peace.
Shrine
The field of an ancient battle where earth is still soiled with blood.
A war academy where trials are mortal and where every first-born must go when
they are not a child anymore.
A temple of martial splendour perched upon a cliff, protected by warrior-monks.
Threat
An invading army, stationed in a once glorious city.
A monstrous beast, ravenous and bloodthirsty, that no one can kill.
A sorcerer, immortal and mad, who wants to cast the gods down from their thrones.
Divine Domains 53
Epithet
Choose one:
Scourge of Mortals: When your Avatar unleashes the fury of war, the calamity
“the field of battle is ruined for this Age and the Age to come” must happen.
Bearer of steel: Your Followers also have Quality: armour or Quality: weapon.
Who fights in the foremost ranks: When your Avatar is harmed in battle, you may
spend 1 Faith to take the harm instead. You temporarily lose a Basic Divinity Move
until you regain 1 Faith.
Sub-domain
Strife: No alliance stands the test of time. At the beginning of a new Age, across the
mortal world enemies declare truce and allies become enemies.
Destruction: No defence built by Mortals stands the test of time. At the beginning
of a new Age, a fortress or any other defence is destroyed. If there’s any Quality
attached to it, erase it.
Strategy: At the beginning of a new Age, say who has the most powerful military and
say what is needed to defeat them.
Pantheon
Say which deity is your spouse (husband or wife). Give each other 1 Oath and your
Say which deity you defeated in a duel of might. They get 1 Oath on you but you are
higher in the pantheon than them.
Revelation
Either you think they are faithful enough and grant them your blessings; they gain
Valour+1 but your Faith becomes weaker. When they die, they can’t choose to
influence you.
Fate Move
Each time a war is waged on the mortal realm and thousands of lives are lost, your Fate
goes a step towards your goal.
54 Divine Domains
End of Time
Ruin.
Your Followers ensure peace on the border of an empire; add the Quality: peace to a
large area on the map.
Enemies are disorganized and lack proper leaders; add the Detriment: unruly to a
Peril.
War is spread by your Followers; add the Detriment: war to a large area on the map.
An enemy is ready to strike ruthlessly; pick a Peril, and the GM will make a move
using them.
Artefacts
Avatar may spend 1 hold to choose an additional benefit when they unleash the
fury of war.
Followers
on who they are, Quality: band, and the Detriment: violent.
Also, choose one:
They erase a Detriment somewhere; the GM will say which one and update the map.
Divine Domains 55
CHAPTER IV
AVATAR CALLINGS
Godsend presents eight different callings for your avatars to follow. When you make
your avatar, you’ll pick one of these playbooks and use them to guide their stats, look,
backstory and abilities.
The Angel The Juggernaut

The glory and terror of the An unstoppable destroyer,
divine, sent to punish and to more force of nature than
protect. creature.
The Harbinger The Incarnation

A commander of the divinity's Not base human matter
forces in the mortal realm, alloyed with divine power,
rallying troops and striking but the very stuff of divinity
down avatar and titan alike. made flesh.
The Martyr The Pandora

As divinities clash and seas Mother of monsters,
boil, who will salve the creature of chaos, and giver
suffering of the mortals below? of the most wonderful gifts.
You, that's who.
The Prometheus The Prophet

Your divinity may not Fate guides all – the clashing
appreciate your service – you gods, the end of the world,
may even have stolen it from the legends of avatars. Only
them – but you will use this you can peer directly into
power to make great changes fate's strands and pronounce
to the world. what will be.
Avatar Callings 57
58
The Angel
You’re an angel: the flaming sword sent to obliterate your enemy. You’re an angel:
incarnation of beauty sent to protect humanity. You don’t care what you’ve been sent for;
you know only to serve.
Stats
Choose one set:
Charisma 0, Valour 2, Will 2, Wisdom 0
Look
Choose one of each, or create something else:
Appearance: masculine, feminine, asexual, ambiguous.
Face: handsome, calm, smooth, young.
Eyes: merciless, faraway, pitiful, emotionless.
Body: lean, scarred, athletic, graceful.
Voice: whispering, peaceful, inspiring, soothing.
Optionally, supernatural features: feathered wings, halo of divine light, supernatural
beauty, tears of blood. If any, you gain a relevant Quality and the Detriment:
conspicuous.
Backstory
Everyone goes around the table and introduces their Avatar by their appearance.
On your turn choose at least one event from your former life as a mortal:
I did nothing out of the ordinary during my whole life, but my heart has ever been
entirely devoted to my Divinity.
I lived among unfaithful people; my Divinity punished them, I was the only survivor.
I preferred to die instead of denying my faith; this brief torment was the moment my
Divinity chose me.
When all the Avatars have been chosen by their Divinity, go around again, and on
your turn choose another Avatar for at least one:
__________ has fought with me during a divine war. Update the map with a large
area (Detriment: devastated). If any terrain feature was located here beforehand,
erase it.
I protected __________ from the fury of their Divinity, but diverted their punishment
unto an innocent population. Say what kind of punishment it was; the GM will add a
relevant Detriment to a population.
I rightfully killed an Apostle of __________. Their successor gains the Quality:
avenging.
Avatar Callings 59
Roles
Trigger one at character creation:
The Champion: You fight valiantly in the name of your Divinity; your arm strikes
without hesitation wherever it is needed. When you take part in a crusade, mark this
role: say who you’re waging war with; the GM will say where they are and may create
a relevant Peril.
The Paragon: You truly incarnate your Divinity’s Domain and beliefs and as such
your Divinity’s worshippers take you as an inspiring model. When you accomplish a
mission for your Divinity without questioning their intent, mark this role. Say who
benefited from this; the GM will say who suffered from this.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity. When you discover truths that
shake your loyalty, mark this role. Say who you’re hoping will offer you guidance.
The Lost: You follow your own journey, leaving your Divinity’s ways. When you
reveal your loyalty to something or someone else, mark this role. Say who they are;
the GM will create a relevant Peril.
When you mark a new Role after character creation, gain a new Angel Move or add
+1 to a Stat. If you’re Heretic or Lost, you may take a Move from another Calling.
If you’ve marked each Role, your character retires. Narrate an epilogue, using any
element you like from their Apotheosis Move.
Angel Moves
Choose two:
Disarming presence
When you speak or sing, no one who can hear you can start a fight. When you make
eye contact with an NPC, they freeze until you break it off.
Fallen angel
When you move the fate of the world away from your Divinity’s goal, hold 1. Spend
that hold to avoid any harm or heal a fatal wound.
Indomitable
When you go into battle, hold 2. During the battle, you can spend your hold to:
Redirect harm to someone else.
Cross the distance between you and another character outside your reach before they
have time to react.
Intercept any attack directed at someone; if they should have suffered harm, you
suffer it instead.
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Merciful
When you unleash the fury of war or when you perform a miracle, you may
spend 1 Faith to prevent a calamity.
Ubiquitous
You may appear in front of anyone whose true name you know.
Death
When you die, you become a statue made of stone, captured in a moment of perfect
beauty. People will start worshipping this relic. Say what Quality or Detriment this
statue brings wherever it is located.
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62
The Harbinger
You see people as resources: they may help you further the creed of your god. Or they may
not, in which case they’re worthless to you. Even your allies know they can trust you only
until the point where they cease to serve your cause. What can you say? You’re not here to
make friends. Just to deliver the divine words and to reap what you sow.
Stats
Choose one set:
Look
Appearance: masculine, feminine, asexual, utterly inhuman.
Face: angular, hidden, pale, kind.
Eyes: mocking, disingenuous, calculating, bright.
Body: colossal, lithe, bony, supple.
Voice: calm, sharp, hypnotic, blood-curdling.
Optionally, supernatural features: aura of fire and shadow, horns, dreary beauty,
encrusted jewellery. If any, you gain a relevant Quality and the Detriment:
conspicuous.
Backstory
Everyone goes around the table and introduces their Avatar by their appearance. On
your turn choose at least one event from your former life as a mortal:
I ran amok during a religious festivity. My mind wasn’t prepared to comprehend the
words of my Divinity.
I was rejected by my family, I had no friends, and thus stood on the path to greatness.
I heard my calling when I drank the blood of a former Avatar.
__________ stood in my way once; I spared them but have been punished for my
reluctance. Say what you didn’t accomplish because of them; the GM will tell you
how it has become an even worse situation and may create a relevant Peril.
I have deep feelings for __________ but there is a higher purpose in my life than caring
for mortals. Nevertheless, say what they should say or do to get your help; they say
how they understood how to manipulate you.
__________ would make a good acolyte: their faith is strong but ill-advised. Ask them
how you could prove to them the superiority of your Divinity.
Avatar Callings 63
Roles
Choose one at character creation:
The Pontiff: You are your Divinity’s high priest on the mortal realm. When you try
to co-opt a more widespread religion, mark this role. Say what your secret trump
card is.
The Paragon: You truly embody your Divinity’s Domain or beliefs, and your
Divinity’s worshippers take you as an inspiring model. When your actions cause
unintended harm, mark this role. Name one group you need to make amends with to
great extent if you want them to join your ranks; the GM may create a Peril.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity. When you make it your life’s
work to fight against a Peril that doesn’t concern your Divinity, mark this role. Say
how they are nevertheless connected to your Divinity.
suffer a crisis of faith, mark this role. Say what is currently more important to you;
the GM will tell you how to find an answer to your existential crisis.
When you mark a new Role after character creation, gain a new Harbinger Move
or add +1 to a Stat. If you’re Heretic or Lost, you can take a Move from another
Calling.
Harbinger Moves
Choose two:
Hear ye hear ye.
When you show the glory of your Divinity to change the devotion of a group of people,
they become favourable to your Divinity.
Choose also any number of additional benefits up to your Charisma:
They permanently change their devotion without asking for any sacrifice.
They can become Followers from now on, if your Divinity decides to.
Finally, choose any number of calamities up to your Will that won’t happen:
An NPC you sincerely care about just happens to be present. They become
fanatically zealous and will cause trouble.
This new devotion provokes a religious schism. A new hostile faction emerges from
this group; the GM will create a Peril.
You cannot redo this Move until the next Age.
64 Avatar Callings
Overthrow the false prophets.
You can spend 1 Faith to give an order to a group of Followers, even if they’re not
yours, and they’ll do it.
Renew the world.
When you trigger your Divinity’s Fate Move, hold 1. Spend that hold to prevent
another Divinity from moving their Fate towards their goal.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
When you kill an Avatar, their Divinity must trigger fall into nothingness.
Unsatisfactory alliance.
When you receive help from an Avatar or an Apostle of a different Divinity, you must
choose an additional benefit and an additional calamity on any move triggered.
You can spend 1 Faith to choose only the benefit.
Death
When you die, your place of death becomes a destination for pilgrimage and a place
of worship is erected. It will become a place of safety for the worshippers of your
Divinity. There, Followers can be easily found and no Peril can harm them.
Avatar Callings 65
66
The Incarnation
Avatars are usually elevated by their deity from the masses of humanity, and retain some
of their weaknesses and imperfections. You are different. You are the embodiment of your
Divinity, sent to the mortal realm to bring balance. Until a new cycle of destruction and
renewal begins.
Stats
Choose one set:
Look
Appearance: masculine, feminine, ambiguous, concealed.
Face: serene, gorgeous, luminous, pallid.
Eyes: scorching, lost, venerable, candid.
Body: luscious, still, gracious, imposing.
Voice: stern, soothing, rich, passionate.
Optionally, supernatural features: part-animal, several arms, levitating, inhuman
skin colour. If any, you gain a relevant Quality and the Detriment: conspicuous.
Backstory
your turn choose the reason you have been sent to the mortal realm:
You naturally appear when the balance between two concepts must be restored (for
example: good and evil, chaos and order, creation and destruction).
You have been summoned by powerful worshippers of your Divinity.
You are one of the numerous signs foretelling the end of time.
__________ came to me for wise counsel. Ask them what it was about and say
sincerely what you think their best course of action is; the GM will consider that as
a truth.
I have foreseen the doom of __________ but I know a way to prevent that from
happening. Say what it is; the GM will create a relevant Peril.
I know that the divinity __________ serves wrongly tried to change the balance of the
universe. Ask them what you prevented them from doing, and tell them what they
should do instead to have your support.
Avatar Callings 67
Roles
without hesitation wherever it is needed. When you creatively defeat an important
opponent of the cosmic balance, mark this role. Say who they were and how you
defeated them. The GM will tell you how you’ve seen evidence of their reappearance
and how they seem stronger; the GM will create a relevant Peril.
The Hierophant: You act as an interpreter for your Divinity’s will and educate their
worshippers in their holy ways. When you correct a significant imbalance, mark this
role. Say how you’ve improved someone’s lot. The GM will say what they now expect
from you.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity. When you engage in petty
mortal quarrels, mark this role. Say who was considered an enemy, but was in fact ill-
understood. The GM will say who was thought to be an ally and was in fact a foe.
further the cosmic imbalance, mark this role. Say how this has brought delight or
luxury, at least on the short-term, for a group of people. The GM will say who suffers
from this and now opposes the current imbalance; the GM may create a relevant
Peril.
When you mark a new Role after character creation, gain a new Incarnation Move
Calling.
Incarnation Moves
Choose two:
From eternity to temporality, from infinitude to finitude.
Your essence is divine, and one of your aspects is the epitome of your Divinity.
Choose one of your Stats; whenever you should use it, instead use the current Fate of
your Divinity (treating it as positive if it's negative).
I come into being, age after age.
Once per Age, you can ask the GM how you can trigger your Divinity’s Fate Move.
They will tell you exactly which requirements you must fulfil to trigger it: up to three,
linked with “and” or – mercifully – “or”.
Knowledge is the ultimate weapon.
If you know the weakness of your foe, you can unleash the fury of war against
them with Will instead of Valour.
68 Avatar Callings
Revered.
When you speak publicly to a mob, you can lead them to do your bidding. Choose one
below. You can ask them:
To bring you someone; but they will also commit violence upon people that are
similar or close to your target.
To bring you something precious you covet; but they will steal other things also and
be jealous of your treasure.
To fight for you or your cause; but they will spread chaos and death on their way.
This is just a mere embodiment of the soul.
Whenever you want, change any or all of your Looks and even the Quality linked to
your supernatural features. Those who know you can still recognize you, but only if
they look closely.
Death
When you die, it’s just part of the cycle. Worshippers are already looking for another
embodiment. You may create your next character by taking the same Calling and
keeping their advancements (meaning you keep your Backstory, your Moves, the
Roles you eventually had and your current Role). Reset their Stats and their Harm
options and simply change their Look. You may take another Role if that makes
sense.
Avatar Callings 69
70
The Juggernaut
You’re a destroyer. No one can stop you.
Stats
Choose one set:
Look
Appearance: masculine, feminine, asexual, utterly inhuman.
Face: scarred, angular, weathered, grimy.
Eyes: disdainful, merciless, fiery, hungry.
Body: colossal, hard, stocky, muscular.
Voice: raspy, menacing, roaring, mute.
Optionally, supernatural features: metallic skin, giant size, earthshaking stomp,
superhuman strength. If any, you gain a relevant Quality and the Detriment:
conspicuous.
Backstory
I was born a slave but led a revolt, conquering my freedom.
I fought every weapon master alive and defeated even the best; no one could match
me.
I was cast into a volcano as a punishment; this brief torment was the moment my
Divinity chose me.
__________ has fought with me during a divine war. Mark out a large area on the
map with Detriment: devastated. If any terrain feature was located here beforehand,
erase it.
__________ once found me on the verge of death and helped me recover. Say who or
what almost killed you; the GM will create a relevant Peril.
I have rescued __________ from a hellish place. Mark out a small area on the map
with Detriment: blight; the GM will create a relevant Peril.
Avatar Callings 71
Roles
Trigger one at character creation:
without hesitation wherever it is needed. When you lead the way against impossible
odds, mark this role. Say who dies; the GM says who’ll survive.
The Zealot: You speak the words of your Divinity and promote their Domain. When
you swear to bring down someone or something, mark this role. Say what would
make you protect them instead; the GM will create a relevant Peril.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity. When you pursue a personal
vendetta, mark this role. Say where you might find allies against your grudge’s target.
destroy something you weren’t meant to, mark this role. Say what you need to do to
prove you were right or at least to redeem yourself.
When you mark a new Role after character creation, gain a new Juggernaut Move
Calling.
Juggernaut Moves
Choose two:
Death just makes me stronger.
Your Harm move has an additional option: “Survive and get stronger by your defeat;
get +1 to one of your Stats”. As with all Harm move options, you can only pick this
option once.
Heel of Achilles.
Unless your adversary is exploiting a weakness revealed via Overcome the tides of
destiny or other means, you can’t suffer harm.
Scent of blood
No one can ever escape your revenge. When someone has harmed you or those you love,
hold 1. Spend that hold at any future point to appear in a scene they're in, with or
without an explanation.
Tall as a Titan, Fierce as a Dragon.
No mortal can fight you if they don’t have a relevant Quality (bravery, god-killer, or a
massive army, for example). Foes without the proper Quality would probably flee the
battlefield without even fighting.
72 Avatar Callings
Those walls won’t stop me.
When you smash through scenery or defences, you go where you want to go. Choose
also any number of additional benefits up to your Valour:
You leave the enemy defenceless.
You directly face your true enemy.
You free potential allies. Say who they are.
Finally, choose any number of calamities up to your Wisdom that won’t happen:
You are fatally wounded in the process: you suffer harm.
An NPC you sincerely care about just happens to be present. They are either
dreadfully maimed or killed.
The scenery is ruined for this Age and the Age to come; update the map with a large
area (Detriment: devastated). If any terrain feature was located here beforehand,
erase it.
Death
When you die, you fall like a giant, destroying anything of your choice in the local area
(a city, a mountain, etc).
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74
The Martyr
Gods are long-sighted, but they don’t care if their orders harm the weak and the
unfortunate. You are lucky to witness the glory of the gods but somehow it should be
possible to spread their words without making people suffer. This is your calling. This is
your curse.
Stats
Choose one set:
Look
Appearance: masculine, feminine, transgressing, androgynous.
Face: smooth, scarred, striking, friendly.
Eyes: sharp, weary, shining, guilty.
Body: marked, slight, hard, skinny.
Voice: regal, caring, peaceful, soft.
Optionally, supernatural features: halo of divine light, bleeding stigma, third eye,
impervious to elements. If any, you gain a relevant Quality and the Detriment:
conspicuous.
Backstory
I advocated for a false deity before receiving an epiphany from my Divinity.
My followers were persecuted and killed; I am the only survivor.
I travelled to hostile lands to preach, to no avail.
I have rescued __________ from a hellish place. Mark a small area on the map with
Detriment: blight; the GM will create a relevant Peril.
I have stopped __________ from harming people – neither of us are welcomed at that
place now. Say where it happened, and ask them what they were about to do and
how you stopped them.
I have saved the life of someone dear to __________. Ask them who it was; the GM
may create a relevant Peril.
Avatar Callings 75
Roles
The Hierophant: You act as an interpreter for your Divinity’s will and educate
their worshippers in their holy ways. When you seek sanctuary for your Divinity’s
worshippers, mark this role. Say where they’ll be safe; the GM will tell you what’s in
your way.
The Sybarite: You live unidentified amongst the mortals and the followers of your
Divinity, sharing their joys and their pains. When you search the lands for a solution
for the ills of your Divinity’s worshippers, mark this role. Say what it is; the GM will
tell you what sacrifice must be done or what unfortunate consequences will happen.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity. When you choose to fight a
threat that doesn’t endanger your Divinity’s worshippers, mark this role. Say who,
person or faction, is helping you.
refuse to serve your Divinity by harming people, mark this role. Say what about
them reminds you of your former mortal life and how you’re hoping to change your
Divinity’s ways.
When you mark a new Role after character creation, gain a new Martyr Move or add
+1 to a Stat. If you’re Heretic or Lost, you can take a Move from another Calling.
Martyr Moves
Choose two:
Don’t mind me
When you blend in a crowd, you won’t be recognized and will look unremarkable.
You can also enter secure places without difficulty unless you have the Detriment:
conspicuous.
Red martyrdom
Your Harm move, instead of “Survive but reveal that your Divinity can’t protect
you”, has this option: “Survive and show that your persecution sanctifies you; your
Divinity’s Faith becomes stronger”. As with all harm move options, you can pick this
option only once.
Walking the earth
When you visit a settlement for the first time, or when you return after a long absence,
say what you want from these people (protection, information or worship). The GM
will tell you what you need to do to obtain it.
76 Avatar Callings
Fight for the right cause
When you are the witness of an injustice or an evil deed and you step up, you can
prevent it. Choose also any number of additional benefits up to your Wisdom:
You prevent your antagonist from retaliating for now.
You show signs of wonder and people support your cause; your Divinity’s Faith
becomes stronger.
You have corrected a pivotal wrong; move your Divinity’s Fate one step towards Ruin
or Salvation.
Finally, choose any number of calamities up to your Valour that won’t happen:
You are fatally wounded in the process: you are harmed.
An unforeseen complication will happen; the GM will make a Move.
An NPC you sincerely care about just happens to be present. They are either
captured or persecuted.
Benediction of health
With the balm of your presence, you can spend 1 Faith to temporarily erase a
Detriment concerning a population, a place or a small area. If you want to erase it
permanently, the GM will tell you what you need (time, resources, sacrifice and/or
help).
Death
When you die, name an NPC (or a PC if they agree to it) responsible for your death
and say how and when they will die; the GM will make that happen, no matter how.
Name an NPC who will emerge unharmed from the current situation; the GM will
make that happen, no matter how.
Avatar Callings 77
The Pandora
If chaos would have a face, if strife would have a voice, it would be yours. Of beauties
and evils, you’re wealthy and generous. The truth is, you live amongst mortals only to
cause trouble. What can you say? Trouble is the best gift you can give!
Stats
Choose one set:
Look
Appearance: masculine, feminine, ambiguous, androgynous.
Face: gorgeous, unsettling, striking, strange.
Eyes: arresting, dark, mocking, welcoming.
Body: toned, attractive, unnatural, graceful.
Voice: sultry, soft, soothing, lilting.
78 Avatar Callings
Optionally, supernatural features: metallic skin, supernatural beauty, several arms,
floating lights. If any, you gain a relevant Quality and the Detriment: conspicuous.
Backstory
I was the guardian of a divine treasure, but I wasn’t reliable enough and I failed to
protect it.
I seduced everyone who laid their eyes on me; wars were waged to conquer me.
I was created by the gods themselves and sent as a reward or a punishment, but I’ve
gained my free will.
__________ fell in love with me at first sight. Unfortunately, they have a powerful
rival. Say who it is; the GM will create a relevant Peril.
I protected __________ from the fury of their Divinity, but I diverted their
punishment unto an innocent population. Say what kind of punishment it was; the
GM will add a relevant Detriment to a population.
I was bearing an Artefact intended for __________ when I lost it. Say who it has now
reclaimed it; the GM will create a relevant Peril.
Avatar Callings 79
Roles
The Zealot: You speak the words of your Divinity and promote their Domain.
When you forge powerful weapons of destruction, mark this role. Say where they are
stocked on the map and who’s aware or afraid of their existence; the GM will create
a relevant Peril.
Divinity, sharing their joys and their pains. When you find answers to the reason of
your existence, mark this role. Say how you can free yourself from your fate.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity. When you save a population
from the edge of extinction, mark this role. Say why you save them: compassion for
them or rebellion against your Divinity.
The Lost: You follow your own journey, leaving your Divinity’s ways. When you put
aside your Divinity’s goals to forge an alliance for the greater good, mark this role.
Say why the larger threat needs everyone to band together to defeat it; the GM will
create a relevant Peril.
When you mark a new Role after character creation, gain a new Pandora Move
Calling.
Pandora Moves
Choose two:
All-giving
If you give a meaningful present to someone, even if you just send it to them, you
can speak the tongue of gods to them as if "they are susceptible to your words".
Moreover, they wouldn’t ever “ask you a tough price”, even if you left that calamity
open for the GM to describe.
Full of Gifts
You can give a Quality to an NPC or an Apostle, if you also give them a Detriment.
You can have only one Quality and Detriment given at any moment. You can’t take
them back – the recipient will need to die first.
Moulded by the gods
The gods made you perfect. When your Divinity uses curse the unfaithful on you,
they lose 1 Faith.
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No hope remains
When you suffer harm, hold 1. When The End is Nigh you can spend that hold to
choose a blight from the main list or one specific to your Divinity.
Monster-bearer
You can give birth to a monster. You can have only one monster at your side at any
moment. This monster can fight in the shadow of the colossus for you and is
clever enough to obey complex orders. If your monster dies, you can’t have another
one until the next Age.
Choose one:
A drake with Quality: fire-breathing, Quality: flying and Detriment:
overconfident.
A wild beast with Quality: tough, Quality: strong and Detriment: savage.
A snake with Quality: amphibian, Quality: venomous and Detriment: huge.
A giant spider with Quality: terrifying, Quality: sneaky and Detriment: slow.
Death
When you die, your remains begin to vomit blights and evils. Say which monstrosities
now roam your grave; no one except Avatars would be fool enough to enter this no
man’s land. However, hold 1. At any moment you can spend that hold to say that the
treasure any PC is looking for is located there.
Avatar Callings 81
The Prometheus
Gods are a mistake that the universe needs to correct. They must disappear, they must be
killed. Because who would end the world, if not them? Mortals are the true kings, and it
is time to give them the keys to their destiny.
Stats
Choose one set:
Look
Appearance: masculine, feminine, transgressive, androgynous.
Face: striking, burned, sly, gaunt.
Eyes: passionate, anguished, angry, wary.
Body: angular, crippled, frail, graceful.
Voice: sullen, broken, distant, impenitent.
82 Avatar Callings
Optionally, supernatural features: giant size, bleeding stigma, horns, halo of
darkness. If any, you gain a relevant Quality and the Detriment: conspicuous.
Backstory
your turn choose what kind of minor deity you are:
I am the child of a deity and a mortal, but I refused to take the side of the gods.
I am older than the gods themselves but I have spent most of my existence in a
hellish prison.
I was cast out of the divine realm because of a wrongdoing.
__________ once found me almost dead and helped me recover. Say who or what
almost killed you; the GM will create a relevant Peril.
__________ stood in my way once. I spared them but was punished for my reluctance.
Say what you didn’t accomplish because of them; the GM will tell you how it has
become an even worse situation and may create a relevant Peril.
I discovered a secret, something hidden or unsuspected, with the help of __________.
Say what it is and why it needs to be kept secret or else disasters would ensue; the
GM may create a relevant Peril.
Avatar Callings 83
Roles
Divinity, sharing their joys and their pains. When you lure worshippers to venerate
you instead of a true god, mark this role. Name a faction that considers you as a god;
the GM may create a Peril.
The Hermit: You are a secluded sage, without any followers, though many seek your
tutelage. When someone asks you where to find something crucial, mark this role.
Say who else is looking for it; the GM may create a relevant Peril.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity. When you give the gifts
of your Divinity to someone the Divinity thinks is unworthy of them, mark this
role. Ask the Divinity who the gift was intended for, and say which unfortunate
consequences will happen now.
The Lost: You follow your own journey, leaving your Divinity’s ways. When you seek
a power that you could use to bring down the gods, mark this role. Mark a place on
the map where you might find it; the GM may create a relevant Peril.
When you mark a new Role after character creation, gain a new Prometheus Move
Calling.
Prometheus Moves
Choose two:
Chained, tormented, but still alive.
When your Divinity uses curse the unfaithful on you, they temporarily lose a
Basic Divinity Move until they regain 1 Faith.
Taboo.
When you challenge the established order, current laws or customs, you weaken the
rules of the society. What you’ve done is accepted as normal for now. Choose any
number of additional benefits up to your Will:
A rule is forever changed, according to your wish.
An Artefact you were bearing gains 1 hold (up to its maximum).
Your Divinity’s Apostles or Followers lose one of their Detriments.
An unforeseen complication will happen; the GM will make a Move.
You show that the gods can be challenged; your Divinity’s Faith becomes weaker.
84 Avatar Callings
Divine thief.
You have stolen something from a Divinity (not necessarily yours). You have a Major
Artefact you can use. They still must pay the Faith cost to create it.
Plead for humanity.
Once per Age, you can implore a higher deity. You don’t need to keep track of the
Oath you should give: it’s well-known that your word can’t be trusted.
Wretched gift
When you perform a miracle or when you unleash the fury of war, you may
decide who will suffer the “unfortunate consequences” instead of the GM.
Death
When you die, instead of influencing your Divinity during your Apotheosis Move,
you can choose this option: “Become a deity: choose a Domain and follow the usual
rules to create them. The GM will play your character as an NPC in the pantheon
from now on.”
Avatar Callings 85
86
The Prophet
Whatever message the gods want to pass to humanity, you’ll serve as an intermediary.
Drawing from an infinite fount of wisdom has its benefits, but so often people will blame
the messenger.
Stats
Choose one set:
Look
Appearance: masculine, feminine, transgressing, concealed.
Face: grimy, young, weathered, serene.
Eyes: passionate, sunken, wise, bright.
Body: wiry, scarred, awkward, bent.
Voice: warm, husky, loud, vehement.
Optionally, supernatural features: third eye, impervious to elements, halo of divine
light, levitation. If any, you gain a relevant Quality and the Detriment: conspicuous.
Backstory
I have been a scapegoat, banished from my people.
I went somewhere nobody ever set foot.
I was the most important mortal figure in the world before becoming the messenger
of my Divinity, such as an emperor or a king.
__________ came to me for wise counsel. Ask them what it was about and say
sincerely what you think their best course of action is; the GM will consider that as
a truth.
I know a truth about __________ they probably don’t want to hear. Ask them what it
is; the GM will consider that as a truth.
I have foreseen the doom of __________ but I know how to prevent it. Say what it is;
the GM will create a relevant Peril.
Avatar Callings 87
Roles
The Pontiff: You are your Divinity’s high priest on the mortal realm. When you lead
a mob of your Divinity’s worshippers to fight for your Divinity’s cause, mark this
role. Say who or what you are fighting against; the GM will say who your best allies
are in that fight and may create a relevant Peril.
The Hierophant: You act as an interpreter for your Divinity’s will and educate their
worshippers in their holy ways. When you infiltrate a group to sway them to your
Divinity’s cause, mark this role. Name someone who already trusts you; the GM will
say someone who schemes against you and may create a relevant Peril.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity. When you spare or ally with
whatever your Divinity is fighting against, mark this role. Ask your Divinity how you
can change their mind about it.
discard the wisdom of your Divinity and seek new guidance, mark this role. Say what
you’re looking for; the GM will tell you where to find it.
When you mark a new Role after character creation, gain a new Prophet Move
Calling.
Prophet Moves
Choose two:
They shall attack you, but they shall not prevail
When you suffer harm because of one of your prophecies, the harm is transferred to
your opponent or is negated (your Divinity’s choice).
Clairsentience.
You can spend 1 Faith from your Divinity to view an object, a person or place in a
remote location, for as long as you close your eyes. The better you know the object,
person or location, the clearer the vision.
Voice of the Gods
When you truthfully or falsely preach the words of your Divinity, choose one:
An NPC will believe you wholeheartedly, but they may become too zealous.
An NPC will follow your words, but their path is their own.
An NPC or an Apostle will help you, but their true reasons are theirs.
An NPC or an Apostle won’t oppose you, and that’s good enough for now.
If your words are revealed to be lies, expect the worst; the GM will make a Move.
88 Avatar Callings
The law of your fathers is not the law of the gods.
You can spend 1 Faith from your Divinity to order an NPC or a group of people to
disobey one of their customs, laws or rules.
Prophecy.
When you deliver a prophecy, a wise counsel from your Divinity or a vision of the
future, whoever was paying attention will carefully consider your words. Choose also
any number of additional benefits up to your Wisdom:
Whoever acts upon that prophecy to fulfil it may choose one more benefit the next
time they act.
Whoever acts contrary to the prophecy will have to choose one more calamity the
next time they act.
An unforeseen complication will occur; the GM will make a Move.
You cannot speak the tongue of the gods nor deliver another prophecy until
this prophecy has come to pass, one way or another.
Death
When you die, deliver a final prophecy even if you don't have the move. You can
freely choose up to 3 benefits, and don’t have to pick any calamities.
Avatar Callings 89
CHAPTER V
APOSTLES
Apostles
When a scene is directly focused on one character’s actions, there isn’t always room
for one or more of the other player characters to logically fit. In this case, other
players can instead play an Apostle.
Apostles are supporting characters, witnessing the duel of fates. They are heroes in
their own right, but in the face of the end of days they’re mere sparks in front of
a bonfire. They’re there to assist the Avatars, flesh out the Avatar’s followers, and
give players without main characters present a voice in the fiction. They can’t stand
against an Avatar, but can deal with more human-centered missions, and they
provide a mortal perspective on events. If they survive, they may be used again by the
players or the GM, if the need arises in later scenes.
Apostle Moves
Fight in the shadow of the colossus
When you are ordered by an Avatar to perform a task, for each Quality you possess
that is relevant to the task choose one benefit:
You fully accomplish your objective.
You’ve managed to deal with side problems; erase a Quality or add a Detriment on
the map or to a Peril.
You’ve found useful information or ways to get the upper hand.
For each Detriment you possess that is relevant to the task, choose a calamity:
Unfortunate consequences happen; the GM will make a Move.
An ally is lost, trapped or dead.
You had to pay a tough price; lose a Quality or add a Detriment.
Fade out
When an Apostle has no Qualities anymore or more Detriments than Qualities, they
are no longer part of the story – they may be permanently disabled or too frightened
to continue helping an Avatar.
Pass a Relic
When times are dire and you judge an Avatar worthy of it, you may pass them a
Relic of their former incarnation. Say how you inherited that Relic. Erase a Quality,
revealing that it was in fact Quality: Relic-bearer. If they're an Avatar of a different
Divinity to yours, their Divinity gives 1 Oath to yours.
Creating an Apostle
As they are not of the same level of power as Avatars, Apostles don’t use the same
Moves, don’t have Stats, and their playbooks are much simpler. Pick a Belief, a Look,
and a Role according to the Divinity they serve, and then Qualities and Detriments.
Choose one Quality. To add an additional Quality, you must also take a Detriment.
Qualities Detriments
Armour, Artificial, Bravery, Disciplined, Addicted, Ambitious, Criminal, Cursed,
Erudition, Glory, God-killer, Influence, Disloyal, Foolish, Light-sensitive, Rusty,
Magic, Money, Mounts, Stealth, Tough, Ruthless, Sick, Unequipped, Unskilled.
Undead, Weapon.
91
Apostles of Death
Belief
Choose one below:
After winter, there’s spring; after death, life: You are an initiate of the Great
Mysteries. Say what you’ve lost or left behind to become an Apostle. When you die
for the first time, you may say that you actually survive.
We must remember the legends of the departed: Say who your Divinity’s current
Avatar reminds you of, and say why you think they are similar and will meet the
same fate. When you die, your Divinity changes your body and mind into something
different; say what it is and how the legends will remember you.
Death is no ending: Our deeds will be judged at our demise. Say who is the foulest
character amongst the Avatars and the Apostles; their player will reveal their darkest
secret to you. When you die, you leave a minor Relic that another Apostle can bear.
The Apostle bearing your Relic may now use your Look Move as if they had it.
Look
Choose one:
An ambitious plague doctor: You wear a mask to hide deformities due to a
disgraceful illness. You are immune to any sickness. You can heal someone else’s fatal
wound, but you permanently lose one of your Qualities in the process.
A resolute necromancer: You have a gift and you want to use it well: you can talk to
the spirits of the dead and the undead. You can speak the tongue of the gods
to them like an Avatar, except you only choose one of the benefits and no calamities
happen. Instead you permanently lose one of your Qualities.
An aloof embalmer: You usually maintain a cold composure and you smell of myrrh,
perfumed oils, and incense. When an Avatar dies in your presence, they may freely
choose to “leave behind a Relic”. Change one of your Qualities to become “relic-
bearer”.
Role
Choose one (you can’t choose a Role already taken by your Divinity’s Avatar):
The Zealot: You speak the words of your Divinity, explaining to everyone what they
should expect in the Afterlife. If you’re in an area with the Detriment: disease, you
may consider it as one of your Qualities.
The Hermit: You are a secluded sage, without any followers, said to live forever. You
appear and disappear whenever your heart commands; you don’t fade out and may
reappear even if the Age has changed.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity because you believe in a
different Afterlife. Gain a Quality when your Divinity’s Fate goes the opposite way
and gain a Detriment when your Divinity’s Fate goes the way they want.
If your Divinity’s Avatar changes their Role, you may also change yours. Say why and
how it happens.
92 Apostles
Apostles of Justice
Belief
Choose one below:
Some things are worth dying for: You have devoted your life to protecting someone,
some people, or something. Say who they are. When the outcome of a Move should
kill or harm an NPC, you may take their place instead.
We all should aspire to a better good: You once failed your sacred duty. Say who or
what suffered because of your mistakes. When you die, say which Divinity’s sacred
law is changed and how.
My word is my bond: You gave a promise that you haven’t yet fulfilled. Say what you
promised, to whom, and the GM will tell you why it is more complicated than it
looks. When you die, give a final order to someone present, even an Avatar, and they
will have to execute it no matter what.
Look
Choose one:
A fearless paladin: You care about people, maybe a little bit too much: that can eat
away at you. When someone close to you or to your Divinity’s Avatar is in deep
distress, you somehow know it.
A monk with dark memories: You are a different person from the one who entered
your order a long time ago. When you enter a community, no one will harm you as
long as you provide some aid.
A resolute inquisitor: There will be no rest for the wicked, as you’ve devoted your
life to justice. You may fight in the shadow of the colossus, even if you don’t
follow the orders of an Avatar, if your intent is to serve justice.
Role
without hesitation wherever it is needed. Your Divinity has already granted you an
Artefact.
The Paragon: You truly embody your Divinity’s Domain and beliefs, being an
implacable instrument of justice, and as such you inspire your Divinity’s worshippers.
With time and effort, you may change the Qualities and Detriments of your
Divinity’s Followers.
The Lost: You somehow rejected your Divinity: now you follow your own rules. You
commit crimes and villainy, do evil as soon as you can. If your Divinity’s Faith is
negative, gain an extra Quality per point below 0.
how it happens.
Apostles 93
Apostles of Knowledge
Belief
Choose one below:
Curiosity brings great riches: You’ve discovered a strange place. Say where it is on
the map and what you think happened there. When you die, a Relic is found on your
body; the GM will decide whose Relic it is and which Move is tied to it.
We must learn to accept our destiny: You were full of good intentions but you’ve
been a fool and something wicked came along. Say what good you did in the past
and the GM will tell what evil happened because of you. When you die, say what
good will come out of this; the GM will make that happen.
Wisdom lies within books: You are a bookworm; this is how you’ve found a
legendary item. Say what it is and where it is hidden; the GM will tell you who or
what guards it. When you die, hold 1. Spend that hold at any moment to reveal that
a clue you've left gives someone information useful to their current situation.
Look
Choose one:
A reclusive wizard: For years you have studied the demanding, draining practice of
magic, and in return have gained deep power. You can perform a miracle like an
Avatar except you only choose one of the benefits and no calamities happen. Instead
you permanently lose one of your Qualities.
An adventurous scribe: You have travelled to every corner of the world, the sun has
burnt your skin, and you’re full of marvellous stories. You can find a friend in every
settlement. When you introduce them choose two: they’re influential, you don’t owe
them, they’re interested in helping you with your problem.
A hedonistic master schemer: Dressed in silk and jewellery, you’ve always seemed
inoffensive to everybody; that’s because they are exactly where you want them to be.
When you spend a moment alone with someone, you can ask their player “what do
you intend to do?” or “what do you desire the most?”
Role
The Pontiff: You are the head of your clergy, a scholar, but also a priest; worshippers
are used to heeding your words. You have your own Followers, educated people with
Quality: band, Quality: rigorous, and Quality: information or Quality: tools.
The Paragon: You truly embody your Divinity’s Domain and beliefs, possessing an
indomitable intellect, and you inspire your Divinity’s worshippers. With time and
effort, you may change the Qualities and Detriments of your Divinity’s Followers.
The Hierophant: You act as an interpreter for your Divinity’s will. When your
Divinity asks their Avatar to do as the divine heart desires, if you follow their
decree, you act as if you have the Quality: inspired.
how it happens.
94 Apostles
Apostles of Nature
Belief
Choose one below:
Respect what is ancient and wise or fear its fury: You survived a natural disaster. Say
what useful fragments of your former civilization can be found in the devastated
remnants of its land. When you die, a disaster of cataclysmic proportion devastates
the land. Say where it hits and which feature is destroyed.
Nature giveth, Nature taketh away, everything comes to a circle: Say what good
Nature has given and what good it has taken; erase a Quality somewhere on the map
and add another one somewhere else. When you die, say which enemy realizes that
their way is wicked and becomes an ally.
Words are deceitful, rely on your primal instincts: There is one rule of a civilized
society that you cannot fathom. Say what it is; the GM will tell you how you can
make a population forget about that rule. When you die, you curse an NPC present
and they become an animal. Say which one.
Look
Choose one:
A severe-looking hunter: Swift and silent, you are nothing but a shadow when
nature surrounds you. You have the upper hand in a forest.
A flea-ridden old crone: Your skin looks like leather but, behind your frail
appearance, you hide a robust condition. You may take at will the form of any animal;
change your Qualities and Detriments accordingly.
A stocky beastmaster: You wear hides and seem like an animal. With just a word,
you can command a ferocious beast to do your biddings. When your trained animal
is at your side, you are considered to have an additional relevant Quality.
Role
The Pontiff: You are the head of your clergy: a druid, but also a priest. Animals are
used to obeying your orders and share with you what they have seen. You have your
own Followers, simple animals with Quality: band, Quality: small, and Quality:
inconspicuous or Quality: flying.
The Zealot: You speak the words of your Divinity, explaining to everyone what
Nature has in store for them. If you’re in a purely natural area (forest, mountains,
seas, etc) with a Quality, you can treat the Quality as one of your own.
The Hermit: You are a secluded sage, without any followers, said to be sustained by
nature itself. You appear and disappear whenever your heart desires: you don’t fade
out and may reappear even if the Age has changed.
how it happens.
Apostles 95
Apostles of Trickery
Belief
Choose one below:
Even death can be tricked if you’re sly as a fox: Say who left you for dead; the GM
will tell you how to get them at a disadvantage. When you die, you decide how you
die, if that's what you choose to do. If you cheat death, decide how you fade out.
We all die alone, but I’ll be damned if I’d fall alone: Say who betrayed you in the
past; the GM will tell you what ills they are currently scheming. When you die, you
may curse the unfaithful with your last breath, targeting those responsible for
your death.
This will prove more useful in my hands: Say what you stole from someone; the
GM will tell you what they’re up to in order to get it back. When you die, someone
realises that they’ve lost something useful to them. Say where you’ve hidden it.
Look
Choose one:
A deceitful shape-shifter: You can take the appearance of anybody. You hold 1. You
can spend that hold to appear in any scene, revealing yourself as one of the people
present in the background.
An outcast, on the verge of madness: You have been ostracised, you have been
mocked, no one takes you seriously... but they’ll see. When you fight in the
shadow of the colossus, use your Detriments instead of your Qualities and vice-
versa.
A thieving child: You have a satchel full of the things you have stolen. Hold 3. When
you look in your satchel for a helpful item, spend a hold to find it and gain a relevant
Quality, but choose one: it can only be used once, it’s precious to you and you must
spend an additional hold, or it belongs to an NPC present and the GM will make a
GM Move.
Role
The Paragon: You truly embody your Divinity’s Domain as an agent of change,
and as such you inspire your Divinity’s worshippers. With time and effort, you may
change the Qualities and Detriments of your Divinity’s Followers.
The Sybarite: You live unidentified amongst the mortals, sharing their joys and their
pains and maybe being the cause of both. You gain the Quality: inconspicuous.
The Heretic: You have lost the trust of your Divinity because you try to amend
things instead of bringing chaos. Gain a Quality when your Divinity’s Fate goes
away from their goal, and a Detriment when it goes towards their goal.
how it happens.
96 Apostles
Apostles of War
Belief
Choose one below:
Blood calls for revenge: Your family was killed during a former conflict and now
you seek revenge; you’re a survivor. Say who harmed you or your relatives. When you
die, those who fight to avenge your death can choose an additional benefit on any
relevant moves.
War is just a means to a better end: In order to topple a current injustice, you have
spent years learning how to fight. Say who or what you want to bring down. When
you die, you may strike a fatal blow to your enemy, even an Avatar.
To bring peace, one needs to prepare for war: You have the ambition to conquer the
world or you may only want to protect your people. Say what is the price of your
loyalty. When you die, say how a battle will end, even against all odds.
Look
Choose one:
A grizzly veteran: You are a worn and battered old soldier, but your hand is still firm
for the war to come. You can infiltrate any hostile or fortified place without trouble.
A knight in shining armour: You have the arrogance of the youth and the striking
beauty of someone with pure heart. You may fight in the shadow of the
colossus even if you don’t follow the orders of an Avatar if your intent is to defeat
an enemy.
A brutish giant: People don’t like you but that’s fine, because you don’t like people.
When you fight in the shadow of the colossus, you may choose an additional
calamity in order to pick an additional benefit.
Role
The Pontiff: You are the head of your clergy: a war leader, but also a priest. You're a
warrior-monk or a templar, and soldiers are used to obeying your orders. You have
your own Followers, worthy soldiers with Quality: band, Quality: loyalty, and
Quality: weapon or Quality: bravery.
without hesitation wherever it is needed. Your Divinity has already granted you an
Artefact.
The Lost: You somehow rejected your Divinity: now you follow your own rules. You
value honour when only victory matters, or you value savagery when tactics are lauded.
If your Divinity’s Faith is negative, gain an extra Quality per point below 0.
how it happens.
Apostles 97
CHAPTER VI
RUNNING GODSEND
Being the GM
GM Agenda
Make the world seem real: As always, if the world doesn’t seem to be believable, if
your NPCs don’t react logically, the players wont’ be able to feel immersed in this
fictional world. The world has laws, even when miracles break them, so you should
respect the causality and the consequences.
Make the characters mythic: They may be good, they may be evil, they may succeed
or fail, but never tell them that they can’t do something. They can; the only question
is: are they okay to pay the price? Give them dilemmas and opportunities. Don’t
make them save a poor orphan; let them save an entire population. Don’t let them
fight a single enemy, or if you do at least make it a Titan.
Epic powers, epic responsibilities: Even if the characters can lift mountains, they
should have a purpose and you should definitively focus on that. Consider the
consequences of their actions and how it has helped preventing or bringing the
world to its end.
Play to find out what happens: As always, don’t plan things to happen, don’t tell the
story you envision; let the story emerge because of what happens at the table and be
inspired by the decisions of the characters.
What to say
• Say what the principles demand.
• Say what the rules demand.
• Say what your prep demands.
• Say what honesty demands.
As always, be fair and keep an open mind.
GM Principles
Embrace the mythic: PCs are not common people. Neither are their adversaries.
NPCs will find the PCs to solve their petty problems, to offer them cheap gifts, but
PCs have a higher goal: to prevent or to bring the end of the world. The world is a
beautiful, exciting and interesting place, full of wonders and dangers. Give fantastical
details about peoples, cities, countries, monsters. Give the characters reasons to want
the world saved or destroyed.
Name every person, make them mortal: It’s easy when you’re a divine being to forget
that the world is filled with mortal beings, and therefore to be oblivious of the reason
why you want to save or destroy the world. Don’t let them. Always surround them
with mortals, asking for guidance, offering sacrifice, needing help. Make them fall in
love, make them hate people, remind them that mortals are weak and petty, but in
the end, somewhat needed. Bind them to people: bring their families, the descendant
of their former love, the children of their children. Give them friends and make these
friends foolish enough to follow them everywhere.
Running Godsend 99
Bring chaos, bring order: Nothing stands the test of time. When a situation seems
to be stable, zoom out for a while and let years pass by. Then bring chaos: destroy
what you’ve created, kill the NPCs you’ve introduced. Don’t let a story stall, always
be on the lookout for change. But let the characters enjoy their haven, their lover
or their achievements if they have fought enough. In the end, however, even this
will pass, because an Age will turn and everything will have to be done once more.
Nothing stands the test of time, you see.
Have consequences strike elsewhere: Some consequences will happen off-screen,
unknown to the Avatars. On the other hand, deities see almost everything. Be
forthcoming with Divinities, let them have all the information they want. When
something bad happens off-screen, it’s a good moment to shift to the divine realm
and ask a Divinity if they’d be interested in seeing destiny’s threads.
Write legends, and reference them: Characters will accomplish superhuman deeds
and their legacy will be remembered for the generations to come. Write down
those heroic feats, and after a generation or two, distort them, amplify them. An
Age after, maybe the name of the hero will be lost or twisted to the point that it’s
unrecognisable. When you’re looking for ideas, consider that maybe what an Avatar
did an Age ago had some unexpected consequences. Maybe a city once saved believes
their people are the beloved chosen of the gods and that they should conquer the
world. Maybe a ravaging beast killed was indirectly protecting a country from an
invasion. Maybe an Avatar is now considered as a deity on their own and their cult is
becoming more and more important, to the point where their Divinity’s cult is being
weakened.
And also, as always:
• Begin and end with the fiction.
• Make your Moves look natural.
• Address the characters, not the players.
• Ask questions and use the answers.
• Draw maps, leave blanks.
• Be flexible with your responsibilities.
• Be a fan of the characters.
Refer to Legacy: Life Among the Ruins 2nd Edition for more guidance on these.
GM Moves
Because Godsend is diceless, you don’t make your Moves exactly as you would in
other Powered by the Apocalypse games. You make a Move, soft or hard:
• When the fiction demands it.
• When everyone’s looking to you to find out what happens next.
But also:
• When a player chooses an option that allows it.
• When a Move is triggered.
They are pretty self-explanatory. Peril Moves are the most likely to be triggered. Like
players, if the fiction triggers one of your Moves you must follow through.
100 Running Godsend

Here are your GM Moves:
Show signs of peril: When you show signs of peril, you can reveal a new threat that
the characters will have to face sooner or later, or you recall a threat that has been
already introduced. You may, for instance, make the rumbles of a volcano being
heard. Usually, the characters should be able to do something about that danger
before it comes to fruition.
Target the weakness of the cuirass: Normally, you shouldn’t have to inflict harm to
the characters in Godsend: the PCs’ Moves deal with that part already when you
flesh out the calamities chosen by the players. But sometimes, nevertheless, you’ll
have to, because no Move has been triggered. Remember though, that if you inflict
harm, you can only mortally wound a PC, so do so sparingly. On the other hand, you
can hurt the PC by harming something or someone they hold dear. That part is also
usually dealt with by their Moves, so, again, you shouldn’t use this too often or you’ll
be left without any options when you have to flesh out a calamity.
Rule the land as a demiurge: Qualities and Detriments can be added or erased on
the map, on any Peril or on any NPC. Even on the PCs, actually. When it makes
sense to change the fictional tags of the world, change them.
Desecrate the holy: Characters will have Relics, Artefacts, shrines, worshippers and
so on. Take those away but don’t destroy them: it’s more interesting to see what the
characters will have to do to reconquer their stuff. Hit them where it really hurts: faith.
The cult of a Divinity falls apart, a religious schism becomes concerning, worshippers
are acting against the long-term goal of their Divinity. Show unfaithfulness or heresy
and let them decide to punish it or not. If they let this heresy prosper, soon enough it
will become another cult, and a new deity will appear.
Beg for help: Characters have godly powers; it’s only natural then that people
come to them to seek aid. Make theirs the problems of others. Burden them a little
bit more. Put them in a situation where they can greatly help and if they don’t,
disastrous events will ensue. They may have only the end of the world on their mind,
it doesn’t matter: make them decide if they want to intervene or not for some regular
down-to-earth problems. Break the laws that the deities have to uphold and put
them in the position of Solomon, let them be the judge. Make them use their godly
powers to deal with petty adultery, theft, murder and so on.
Show links to the characters’ former incarnation: Their former life is still relevant. If
they have been recently chosen as an Avatar, they can still find relatives, descendants, or
legacy to their previous life. Even if time has passed, if for instance they indulge in the
company of mortals, they may also find such links. Or maybe atemporal links may be
drawn: the city where they were born is endangered, for example.
Unfold the Fate of the world: When a Divinity has seen the threads of destiny and
an Avatar has acted accordingly, when a godly objective has been reached, you may
give a point of Fate to them. After all, they’re doing this to bring or prevent the
end of the world, so it makes sense that their actions are steps in the grand scheme
of these events. Use this Move if you want to speed up your game: with more Fate
points, the players should trigger the end is nigh more quickly.
Running Godsend 101

And also, as always:
• Reveal an unwelcome truth.
• Put someone in a spot.
• Separate or capture them.
• Turn their Move back on them.
• Show a downside.
• Offer an opportunity, with or without a cost.
• Tell them the consequences or requirements and ask.
• Use a Move from a Peril.
Refer to your copy of Legacy for those.
GM advice
Fictional positioning
Because Godsend is diceless, because some of the game mechanics insist a lot on
fictional positioning, and because you’re dealing with godlike beings, the judgment
you take on the fiction is important: rules (and mainly Moves) may not always be
triggered. For example, the Move unleash the fury of war says you must be
able to “harm” the enemy, meaning that you must have learned beforehand a way to
harm them or you need an appropriate weapon to effectively deal damage. Note that
this judgment is a call that the entire table gives: as a GM, you can insist if you’re
not convinced, ask questions (“are you sure you can harm this giant with this rock?
Okay… how?”) until the moment you’re finally convinced.
The fiction must make sense to everybody, but remember that the characters are
divine beings and so they have some leeway if we look at plausibility. The see
destiny’s threads Move, for instance, is here to give information that the
characters may use to be put into a position where they can trigger a relevant Move.
In the same way, the severe-looking hunter, an Apostle of Nature, has “the upper
hand in a forest”. That means they don’t even have to fight in the shadow of the
colossus if they are surrounded by trees: they win any contest in the forest. There’s
no hazard in that case, and therefore, no calamity. But in the meantime, that doesn’t
mean they can single-handedly overcome a whole army or an Avatar.
Note that Detriments and Qualities provide an easy way to make an informed call
about fictional positioning (like a monster with Quality: invincible that needs a
weapon with Quality: divine to be harmed).
Scene framing and pacing

As seen in the Example of Play section in Chapter I, Godsend relies heavily on the
GM forcefully framing a scene. That means when you establish a scene, you can
declare who’s present, where they are and what’s going on.
However, remember that you “play to find out”, that you’re “a fan of the characters”
and that you must “build on answers”. That means you should establish the scene
with the help of the players, and never force them into situations that’d upset the
player. Ask them why their character is present – don’t decide for them.
102 Running Godsend

After having established the scene, you can’t decide what’s happening: it's okay for
you to set up the situation the PCs are in, but you can't declare their actions, and you
shouldn't expect them to act one way or another.
The reasoning behind this power is that Godsend encourages player characters that
may not have a lot of reasons to work together, or even to be in the same place at the
same time.
Firstly, you need to ensure that the characters are within the same scenes and that
they have something to say to each other. As a GM, you should link their narratives
as often as you can. Secondly, if another player is out of the picture for some reason
(and doesn’t create an Apostle to play during that scene), the scene must be kept
short so that they won’t stay with nothing to do for too long, with the risk of
them getting bored. For that purpose, Godsend’s Moves are meant to quickly and
efficiently deal with situations and conflicts.
You may notice that Avatar Moves can potentially deal with a vast amount of time,
and they tend to sum up, with their benefits and calamities, the critical events that
happen in the mortal realm. A whole battle can be dealt with a single unleash
the fury of war for example. The Story Moves focus on the divine realm and
focus on the mortal realm are perfect to help you framing scenes so that you
can dive right in, without delay, and skip to the most important parts. The Story
Move roam the land is also great to swiftly say what happened to a PC that wasn’t
present in the previous scene. Use these Moves profusely and shamelessly, if need be.
The first session

The group has made characters and you’re playing through the First Age. Great! It’s
an age of innocence – let the players feel powerful without making them face much
adversity. Threats are looming in the background, getting stronger, plotting evil plans.
And sure, the end of the world will come soon enough and hard choices will have
to be made. But we’re not there yet. As a GM, your main goal is to understand what
drives the characters, their weaknesses and their strengths, and their narrative arcs.
During the First session, you still follow your Agenda, but also add these guidelines:
• Ask for details about the world.
• Turn the players’ questions back on them.
• Twist their ideas by splicing them with one of your own.
• Write down every detail.
• Look for seeds you can use for future conflicts, look for weaknesses to exploit.
• Vary the time scale; shift from the mortal realm to the divine realm.
• Give every character screen time with the other characters.
• Give them chances to pursue their objectives, with a cost.
You want to know these characters and flesh out the world: if you don’t have any
details about these two aspects, your world will feel fake and you’ll have no fun at
all. Here’s the good news: you don’t have to do much, just listen to your players. If
your players are like mine, the world you’ve created should be exciting and weird or
different enough to be curious about what could happen.
Running Godsend 103

The map-drawing step during the world-building should give you plenty of ideas,
so that when it’s your time to say something you should have something interesting
to say. Focus your attention on the threats introduced by the players. They are very
important because the players have chosen them out of three options: they are
definitively the kind of threats the players want to see. The choice of playbooks are
also a strong flag to you: if a player takes the Juggernaut as an Avatar, they want to be
an indomitable force of destruction that will hurt the people they care about. So, you
should focus the story, your questions and your threats on that aspect.
Remember that the Divinities will fill the world with threats and complications with
see destiny’s threads, and they may also be the ones with the clearest agenda in
mind. When you don’t know where the story should go, when you feel you’re out of
options or at the beginning of a new Age, focus on the Divinities and ask them what
they want to do. They will probably give you new balls to juggle with, and the show
will be able to go on.
Divinities will then ask their Avatars to do something. Avatars, in doing it, will
drastically change the fiction, making some things better and some things worse. If
you don’t know how to deal with the actions of an Avatar, it’s probably because you
need more details about the fiction. As a general rule, if they can do it, they can just
do it – and remember that they are divine beings, so if it’s trivial, they probably can.
If they try to do something epically dangerous or if they act against all odds, they are
probably using overcome the tides of destiny.
Scenes where Divinities are present should be short and to the point. Divinities are
not the main protagonists: they add complications to the world and alter it when an
Age turns, and they can provide answers in dire situations. It’s the Avatars who are
taking action in the world and who you spend most of the game following.
You will focus on the mortal realm, viewing the world through their eyes,
seeing the consequences of the events and the evolution of the world, while you
only occasionally zoom out to the point of view of the Divinities by focusing on
the divine realm. A good rule of thumb is to begin a session by focusing on the
Divinities, and shift to the Avatars as soon as possible. In that regard, speaking to
the Chosen is a perfect transition between the two realms.
After the First session, you should begin to have a good view of the world and of
the relationships between all the PCs. It will be the perfect moment to genuinely
introduce the threats you have lovingly crafted and start putting pressure on them.
The purpose of the game is to see if the Avatars will fulfil their mission or if they
will defy their Divinities. Obviously, that is more likely to happen when a Divinity
wants to see a certain fate for the world and their Avatar wants the opposite, and
that’s good drama for sure; but, because of the tension, frictions may begin to appear
even with less conflicting relationships. Tension will ensue when Faith becomes very
weak: they must question what price they are willing to pay to fulfil their objective,
and when another Divinity will soon trigger the End is Nigh – and maybe even
deal with the end of the world if this is the fourth Age – the world may be
altered in many ways without them able to intervene.
In any case, remember: you’re here to help find out what will happen.
104 Running Godsend

Perils
Perils are threats translated into mechanical terms, so they are easier to use for the
GM. They have a name, a description and their own Agenda and Moves.
Perils come in three broad categories:
Obstacles: These are generally inanimate or non-sentient threats. Most of the time,
they don’t actively seek to confront the PCs but they are instead in their way and
need them to make one or several Moves to overcome them.
Factions: Groups of numerous enemies with a common objective. They may be not
that threatening taken individually, but their number is their strength. Depending
on the fiction, they may have a Quality related to their numbers (Quality: band or
Quality: army).
Titans: Epic threats: demigods, other Avatars, mythic and giant monsters or
individuals of exceptional power. They are rare and because they cannot be defeated
without knowing exactly how (and more precisely, you can’t unleash the fury of
war against them until you’ve figured out exactly how to harm them), they should be
chosen preferably as the arch-villain of an entire Age.
These types may be gathered into a Confrontation: an epic, multiple-Stage challenge.
Here are some examples for each category:
The Maelstrom (Obstacle)

Description: This giant hole sucks everything in. It’s said not even the gods can
prevent it from swallowing the world. Perhaps it’s a tunnel to Nothingness itself.
Agenda: To swallow everything coming close.
Moves:
Sucking vortex. When you come close to the Maelstrom, it will suck you in, unless
you give it something bigger. Like a mountain, for example.
Like a moth to the light. When you think you are not close enough to the
Maelstrom to be sucked in, you are. Well, to be fair, it may have moved.
The Fell Gods (Faction)

Description: The Fell Gods are ancient deities, forgotten by all, that have somehow
succeeded in staying in the mortal realm, instead of disappearing into Nothingness.
Deprived of their former powers and glory, they are creatures of despair and sorrow
now. They seem to be immaterial, ghostly statues with human-like features, apart
from their red eyes, their sharp teeth and their nasty claws.
Agenda: To bring down Divinities and to feast on their bodies.
Moves:
Magic-eaters. When an Avatar tries to perform a miracle while the Fell Gods are
present, they cannot. The magic is simply devoured by the ghosts.
Incorporeal. The Fell Gods have the Quality: incorporeal. They cannot be hurt by
regular physical means and are also very hard to spot, unless you know they are there.
Running Godsend 105

The Palace of Queen Siobhan (Confrontation)
Description: The Queen is a warmongering, plotting, egoistical sorceress, reigning
over a country bound to fulfil each and every one of her desires. It is said that mirrors
have been covered in her throne room, to prevent her from seeing her own hideous
appearance. She will desperately fall in love with the first Avatar, “the face of an
angel and the aura of a god”, that comes into her throne room. That may be destiny
or a curse, no one knows. But she might reveal herself a powerful ally, after all those
years alone when no one was able to deliver her from her own guardians.
Agenda: To fall in love with an Avatar.
First stage: Obstacle. You need to pass the traps and the tricks of the Palace.
Second stage: Faction. In the throne room, the reflections of the Queen will become
real and will protect her.
Moves:
Labyrinthine. The Palace is a maddening maze. When you don’t know the correct
way to the throne room, you are lost.
Full of traps. The Palace is full of deadly vicious traps. If you don’t avoid the traps by
your wits or your swiftness, you may well be harmed.
Mirror, mirror. When you enter the throne room, the curtains covering the mirrors
fall; the reflections of the Queen become real and attack you. They have the Quality:
band and the Quality: artificial.
Break the glass. When you break the glass of a mirror, its reflection shatters into
several smaller reflections of the Queen or into several animated body parts of the
Queen. The reflections now have the Quality: army.
Riddle of steel. To kill a reflection, you must destroy its mirror. The mirrors are made
of a hardened steel; they have the Quality: armour against any physical harm.
106 Running Godsend

The Order of the Feather (Faction)
Description: The Order of the Feather appear at the end of the Second Age, when
Avatars have been seen toying with their powers, destroying cities and refused to
help the poor and the weak. These knights vow to bring to justice Avatars that are
guilty of crime against mortals. They are well-trained in that regard, knowing the
weaknesses of every Avatar, seeking the secrets of their former lives and by their
numbers, they can overcome a weakened Avatar. They are known to hit at the lowest
moment.
Agenda: To capture and to judge Avatars.
Moves:
Like little mice. Knights of the Order have the Quality: inconspicuous. They are
generally more than what you thought: if you think they would be alone, they have
the Quality: band; if you think they would be a band, they have the Quality: army.
Driven. Knights of the Order have the Quality: bravery. They are used to fighting
divine beings, and are not afraid of dying.
Spy network. When an Avatar befriends or loves someone, or has been friend or
lover of someone in the past, the GM may use one of their Moves to make the
Order know that information.
The giant has fallen. When an Avatar is harmed, the GM may use one of their
Moves to make the Order capture them.
Guilty or not guilty. When an Avatar is judged, they can choose one:
• They are guilty of crimes they’ve been accused of and want to repent; Fate goes
positively; Faith becomes weaker twice. Say what you do to repent.
• They are not guilty; neither Fate nor Faith changes. Explain why you’re not
guilty, at least in your eyes.
• They don’t want to repent; Fate goes negatively; Faith becomes weaker twice.
Running Godsend 107

The Hydra (Titan)
Description: Hydras are creatures tall as a house with hundreds of snake-like heads,
sent by the divines as punishment or rampaging across the land unchained. Their bite
is venomous and they can even spit it, causing metal to corrode within seconds.
Agenda: To rampage.
Moves:
Army of one. When the Hydra attacks, it can attack everyone surrounding it. It has
the Quality: area.
Venom-spitter. The Hydra can harm someone by just spitting venom. It has the
Quality: ranged.
Cut off a head... Any wound inflicted upon the Hydra regenerates instantly. It has
the Quality: invincible.
…Two regrow. When you wound the Hydra, it lashes back at you immediately. The
GM will make a Move targeting you specifically.
Secret: Heart of acid.
In order to kill a Hydra, you need to pierce its heart.
To pierce the heart of the Hydra, you need a godly weapon.
When you are able to pierce its heart, you’ll have to come close to the beast and
suffer attacks from all its heads first.
If your armour is unable to resist its corrosive blood, you’ll suffer additional harm
that cannot be healed after your attack.
108 Running Godsend

The Cyclops (Confrontation)
Description: Cyclopes are one-eyed men-eating giants, wearing armour and
weapons forged in the heart of a volcano. Their head reaches the sky. When they
walk, the earth trembles. They are not capable of speaking any language; when they
open their mouth, the thunder rumbles and deafens mortals, bursts of lava flow.
They’re the children of a deity, and protected by their divine parent. Most of them
are peaceful shepherds, but sometimes they roam across the land bringing fear and
destruction.
Agenda: To fulfil the will of his divine parent.
First stage: Obstacle. You need to turn the attention of his protecting deity
elsewhere.
Second stage: Obstacle. You need to bring the Cyclops to his knees, in order to be
able to strike his eye.
Third stage: Titan. The Cyclops will fight viciously with all of his strength until he is
blinded.
Moves
Son of a god. Unless his divine parent is distracted, nothing can be done against a
Cyclops. A Divinity can distract their divine parent by giving them 1 Oath. They still
have to explain what exactly they do.
Colossal. The Cyclops is so tall no one can hurt him by any mortal means. He has
the Quality: invincible.
Army of one. When the Cyclops attacks, because he is so massive, a single attack can
hit everyone in the area. He has the Quality: area.
Divine weapons. The Cyclops bears godly weapons and hits with divine strength. No
mortal armour can protect against his attacks.
Thunderous cry. When a Cyclops shouts, everyone in the area is deafened and
stunned. The earth shatters and crevices appear. Magma erupts from his mouth. The
GM will make a Move.
Secret: One-eyed.
You cannot kill a Cyclops, but to defeat him, you can blind him.
In order to blind him, you need to pierce his only eye.
To pierce the eye of a Cyclops, you need to bring him down to his knees in order to
climb upon him and reach his head.
To bring down a Cyclops to his knees, you need a godly weapon able to weaken him.
When you climb upon the Cyclops, he will try to knock you down with his bare
hands, unless you can be superhumanly sneaky.
When you reach his head, he will try to eat you alive, unless you are superhumanly
swift or strong.
When you pierce his eye, if his blood stains you, the deity protecting the Cyclops
will curse you.
Running Godsend 109

Relics and Artefacts
Divinities can hand Artefacts to their Avatar, but some Artefacts can be found
in the mortal realm: cast out, or found by an oblivious mortal, a hero or another
Avatar. Compared to the Divinity-given Artefacts these latter Artefacts can be more
powerful but, alas, they come with a great price. Finally there are Relics, left behind
by departed Avatars and containing great power.
Don’t forget that Major Artefacts can only be claimed by Avatars, and Minor
Artefacts can only be claimed by mere mortals like an Apostle. That doesn’t mean
that a Minor Artefact suddenly does nothing in the hands of an Avatar, but that
the superior power of an Avatar prevents them from noticing any difference. On
the other side, if a mortal wields a Major Artefact they can only use a portion of its
tremendous power, claiming them as a Minor Artefact and thus adding a Quality.
Here are some examples:
The Nibelung ring (Major Artefact)

Description: Made of a lock of fair hair woven on a band of dragon scales, the Ring
whispers the tales of unfortunate lovers to whomever is willing to carefully listen.
Moves:
Goodnight, my love. When you willingly kill your most loved one, your Divinity’s
Faith becomes stronger. You can do that only once per Age.
The closest enemy. When you spare the life of your most hated enemy, you fall in
love with them and they fall in love with you. They become your most loved one.
Dream of dragons. You may command a black dragon sleeping under the earth to
destroy something beautiful or full of hope. It will obey without any trickery and as
it returns to its cave will devour hundreds of people. Update the map accordingly.
The crown of Gilgamesh (Minor Artefact)

Description: A magnificent crown of cedar wood, lapis-lazuli and gold. It will
crumble into mud at the death of its wielder.
Moves:
Perfect in strength, mighty among men. When you fight in the shadow of the
colossus, you can choose up to three options.
Must I too lie down and never rise again? When an allied character is killed on the
scene you’re present, you fade out after that scene to grieve forever.
The Tear of Twilight (Relic)

Description: The Tear is a pearl-like jewel that, when claimed, will merge on the
torso of the Avatar. It will then glow peacefully.
Move:
Past mistakes. When you should normally alter your Divinity’s Fate one way or
another, it isn’t altered. Say what your former incarnation did to alter it the other way
in similar circumstances and hold 1. When you overcome the tides of destiny
to destroy the Tear, you may spend your hold to alter your Divinity’s Fate in one way.
110 Running Godsend

Appendix: Lists of tags
The following tags have been used in this document and are provided here for
inspiration purpose, not as an exhaustive list.
List of Qualities
amphibian godkiller ranged
area granary Relic-bearer
armour growing rigorous
army haven seafaring
artificial inconspicuous small
avenging incorporeal sneaky
band influence stealth
bravery information strong
disciplined inspired terrifying
divine invincible tools
enlightened loyalty tough
erudition magic tough
fire-breathing money undead
flying mounts venomous
glory peace weapon
List of Detriments
addicted famine rusty
ambitious fatalist ruthless
blight foolish savage
chaos hedonist sick
chaotic magic huge slow
conspicuous illusion undead rot
criminal judgmental unequipped
cursed light-sensitive unruly
devastated nosey unskilled
disease outlaws violent
disloyal overconfident war-ravaged
Running Godsend 111

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WORLDs OF

Inspired by the Apocalypse World system by Vincent and Meguey Baker.

THE AGE OF GODS

How to play Godsend

The Age of Gods 5

6 The Age of Gods

Always follow the fiction.

The Age of Gods 7

8 The Age of Gods

The Age of Gods 9

Ico Ambrose Cord Vala

Ico Cord Vala

10 The Age of Gods

The Age of Gods 11

12 The Age of Gods

The Age of Gods 13

14 The Age of Gods

The Age of Gods 15

16 The Age of Gods

The Age of Gods 17

18 The Age of Gods

The Age of Gods 19

20 The Age of Gods

The Age of Gods 21

Basic Divinity Moves

Peripheral Divinity Moves

Speak to the Chosen

The Angel The Juggernaut

The Harbinger The Incarnation

The Martyr The Pandora

The Prometheus The Prophet

100 Running Godsend

Running Godsend 101

Scene framing and pacing

102 Running Godsend

The first session

Running Godsend 103

104 Running Godsend

The Maelstrom (Obstacle)

The Fell Gods (Faction)

Running Godsend 105

106 Running Godsend

Running Godsend 107

108 Running Godsend

Running Godsend 109

The Nibelung ring (Major Artefact)

The crown of Gilgamesh (Minor Artefact)

The Tear of Twilight (Relic)

110 Running Godsend

Running Godsend 111

12 Story games of other worlds

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